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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: hide · pitcher · toast · root · swing · field · perch · stand

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. field — farmland
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. stand — to bear
  5. perch — the fish
  6. swing — to play on
  7. swing — in golf
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. toast — bread
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. root — of a plant
  12. swing — music
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. root — of a word
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. field — for sport
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. field — a subject
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. root — the cause
  24. stand — for spectators

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