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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 120 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: mate · pop · fan · stick · field · perch · pitch · stand

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. field — farmland
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. pop — to visit
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. pop — soda
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. pitch — completely
  12. pop — music
  13. field — a subject
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. stand — to bear
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. mate — to breed
  18. field — for sport
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. mate — a partner
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — the fish
  24. perch — for a bird

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