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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: staff · dip · calf · perch · season · pitcher · game · field

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. staff — a stick
  4. field — for sport
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. season — in sport
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. game — a match
  10. staff — employees
  11. perch — the fish
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. field — farmland
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. game — wild animals
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. season — of the year
  20. dip — to sink
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. staff — employees
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. perch — for a bird

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