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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bass · perch · content · field · fan · pitch · chip · object

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. content — happy
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. pitch — completely
  5. bass — the fish
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. object — an aim
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. field — for sport
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. object — a thing
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. chip — for betting
  16. object — to protest
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. chip — to eat
  19. content — the amount
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. field — farmland
  23. bass — low music
  24. field — a subject

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