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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: bat · suit · land · season · perch · row · field · race

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. land — to come down
  3. row — to paddle
  4. bat — the animal
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. season — in sport
  7. suit — clothes
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. row — a line
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. race — the arms race
  12. race — humankind
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. season — of the year
  15. field — farmland
  16. field — for sport
  17. race — a contest
  18. perch — the fish
  19. field — a subject
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. suit — in cards
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. suit — to fit
  24. land — a country

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