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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 · game · kick · roll · row · stand · field · bulb

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. bulb — for light
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. field — farmland
  7. row — a line
  8. roll — a cake
  9. row — to paddle
  10. perch — the fish
  11. bulb — for light
  12. game — a match
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. stand — to bear
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. game — wild animals
  17. kick — in football
  18. field — a subject
  19. roll — a list
  20. field — for sport
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. stand — on your feet

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