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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: ground · season · pitch · roll · key · perch · band · board

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. ground — crushed
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. key — in music
  8. roll — a list
  9. band — a ring
  10. ground — a position
  11. board — a committee
  12. season — of the year
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. key — the most important part
  16. ground — the earth
  17. season — in sport
  18. perch — the fish
  19. board — to get on
  20. pitch — completely
  21. band — a music group
  22. key — for a lock
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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