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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: pitch · field · cap · perch · ball · rush · pop · hand

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. hand — help
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. ball — a dance
  9. perch — the fish
  10. pitch — completely
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. pop — to visit
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. pop — music
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. cap — a lid
  17. rush — hurry
  18. hand — in cards
  19. pop — soda
  20. field — for sport
  21. ball — a great time
  22. field — a subject
  23. field — farmland
  24. cap — a hat

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