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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: club · dip · perch · suit · kick · hand · pop · field

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. field — for sport
  3. dip — to sink
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. field — a subject
  6. pop — music
  7. kick — in football
  8. club — a group
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — help
  12. suit — clothes
  13. perch — the fish
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. pop — to visit
  16. club — for dancing
  17. field — farmland
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. suit — in cards
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. suit — to fit
  23. pop — soda
  24. club — for golf

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