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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: perch · board · chest · roll · pitcher · charge · field · mate

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. charge — electricity
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. board — to get on
  5. mate — to breed
  6. field — farmland
  7. board — a committee
  8. roll — a list
  9. perch — the fish
  10. mate — a friend
  11. charge — a price
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. field — for sport
  17. charge — in control
  18. chest — of your body
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. field — a subject
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. roll — a cake
  23. chest — of your body
  24. mate — a partner

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