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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.

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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: date · pitch · temple · field · foot · perch · present · bat

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. field — farmland
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. present — there
  8. present — a gift
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. date — the fruit
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. pitch — completely
  14. perch — the fish
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. present — the time now
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. foot — a measure
  21. field — a subject
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. bat — the animal
  24. field — for sport

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