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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: can · pitch · game · season · kick · perch · squash · mark

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. kick — in football
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. mark — a trace
  6. season — of the year
  7. game — wild animals
  8. squash — the sport
  9. can — to be able to
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. mark — a grade
  18. game — a match
  19. season — in sport
  20. pitch — completely
  21. can — a tin
  22. squash — to crush
  23. can — a tin
  24. perch — the fish

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