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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: perch · pop · kid · pitch · rash · track · bowl · land

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. pop — to visit
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. kid — to tease
  6. perch — the fish
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — a country
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. rash — hasty
  12. pop — music
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. kid — child
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. track — a path
  19. pitch — completely
  20. track — to keep track
  21. pop — soda
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. track — a song
  24. rash — a series

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