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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: perch · nail · chest · object · game · pit · rock · field

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. field — for sport
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. chest — of your body
  5. object — an aim
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. field — farmland
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. pit — a hole
  10. chest — of your body
  11. game — wild animals
  12. object — to protest
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. perch — the fish
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. field — a subject
  17. object — a thing
  18. rock — a stone
  19. pit — in a race
  20. chest — a box
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. game — a match
  23. rock — music
  24. nail — on a finger

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