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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: race · straw · rock · perch · hand · safe · pitcher · field

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. field — for sport
  3. rock — a stone
  4. hand — help
  5. race — the arms race
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. field — a subject
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. race — a contest
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. rock — music
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. race — humankind
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. field — farmland
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. hand — in cards

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