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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 120 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: pitch · calf · root · field · net · snap · perch · chest

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. pitch — completely
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. perch — the fish
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. chest — of your body
  10. field — for sport
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. root — of a plant
  13. net — for catching
  14. field — farmland
  15. field — a subject
  16. net — after costs
  17. chest — of your body
  18. root — the cause
  19. snap — to click
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. chest — a box
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. net — in 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