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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: plane · charge · band · court · hand · perch · ball · pitch

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  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. perch — the fish
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. court — of law
  4. court — of a king
  5. charge — electricity
  6. plane — a tool
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. court — for sport
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. band — a ring
  11. band — a music group
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. charge — in control
  14. hand — help
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. ball — a great time
  17. ball — a dance
  18. pitch — completely
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. hand — in cards
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. charge — a price
  23. hand — part of the body
  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