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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.

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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: content · field · dip · wound · mate · charge · pit · perch

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. charge — electricity
  6. field — for sport
  7. charge — in control
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. charge — a price
  11. content — happy
  12. wound — an injury
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. mate — a friend
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. perch — the fish
  17. mate — a partner
  18. field — farmland
  19. field — a subject
  20. pit — in a race
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. dip — to sink
  23. content — the amount
  24. mate — to breed

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