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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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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: pitcher · pop · perch · field · vault · charge · clip · net

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. clip — to cut
  5. charge — a price
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. clip — a video
  9. charge — electricity
  10. field — farmland
  11. field — for sport
  12. net — for catching
  13. perch — the fish
  14. net — in sport
  15. net — after costs
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. charge — in control
  18. field — a subject
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pop — music
  21. pop — soda
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. clip — for paper
  24. vault — a safe

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