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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 116 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: suit · field · dip · cold · perch · pitch · safe · fall

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. cold — not warm
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. cold — an illness
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. dip — to sink
  8. pitch — completely
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. suit — clothes
  11. perch — the fish
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. field — a subject
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. fall — the season
  18. fall — to drop
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. field — farmland
  21. field — for sport
  22. fall — to drop
  23. suit — to fit
  24. suit — 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