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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
468
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: pitch · fall · perch · sharp · lean · cap · field · content

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. lean — thin
  3. field — a subject
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — the season
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. content — happy
  10. pitch — completely
  11. lean — to bend
  12. field — for sport
  13. perch — the fish
  14. cap — a hat
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. cap — of ice
  17. fall — to drop
  18. field — farmland
  19. content — the amount
  20. cap — a lid
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. sharp — clever
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. sharp — exactly

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