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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: straw · present · field · scale · game · perch · roll · saw

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. field — for sport
  3. present — there
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. saw — the tool
  6. scale — in music
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. present — a gift
  11. game — wild animals
  12. field — a subject
  13. game — a match
  14. roll — a cake
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — the fish
  17. saw — the tool
  18. field — farmland
  19. present — the time now
  20. scale — size or range
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. roll — a list

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com