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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: pitch · row · perch · rash · field · content · charge · hide

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. perch — the fish
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. charge — electricity
  6. field — a subject
  7. charge — in control
  8. rash — a series
  9. content — the amount
  10. row — to paddle
  11. content — happy
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. charge — a price
  15. field — farmland
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. pitch — completely
  20. row — a line
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. field — for sport
  24. rash — hasty

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