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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: field · club · pitch · perch · chip · lash · track · fork

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. chip — for betting
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. club — for golf
  5. pitch — completely
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. track — a path
  10. club — a group
  11. perch — the fish
  12. club — for dancing
  13. field — a subject
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. fork — in a road
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. track — a song
  21. chip — to eat
  22. field — farmland
  23. track — to keep track
  24. field — for sport

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