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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: field · cue · perch · pitch · court · present · stock · lie

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. court — for sport
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. field — for sport
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. perch — the fish
  7. stock — goods
  8. stock — shares
  9. court — of law
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. pitch — completely
  13. court — of a king
  14. present — the time now
  15. cue — a hint
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. field — a subject
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. lie — to recline
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. present — a gift
  22. cue — a signal
  23. field — farmland
  24. present — there

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