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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: field · perch · bat · current · coach · wake · pitcher · rush

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. field — farmland
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. perch — the fish
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. field — for sport
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bat — the animal
  14. wake — a trail
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. current — of water
  20. field — a subject
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. current — electric
  23. rush — hurry
  24. current — happening now

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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