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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: pitcher · saw · safe · field · wake · last · perch · ball

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. field — for sport
  3. last — to go on
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. wake — a trail
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. field — a subject
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. field — farmland
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. last — finally
  17. ball — a great time
  18. ball — a dance
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. last — final
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — the fish
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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