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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: mark · chest · field · squash · row · present · perch · mate

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. present — a gift
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. mate — to breed
  5. field — farmland
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. perch — the fish
  8. chest — of your body
  9. squash — to crush
  10. field — a subject
  11. mate — a friend
  12. mark — a trace
  13. row — a line
  14. mate — a partner
  15. chest — a box
  16. present — the time now
  17. row — to paddle
  18. chest — of your body
  19. squash — the sport
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. present — there
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. mark — a grade
  24. mark — to pay attention

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