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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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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: club · toast · pitch · perch · mouse · staff · craft · field

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. field — farmland
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. staff — employees
  6. field — a subject
  7. field — for sport
  8. staff — employees
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. staff — a stick
  13. craft — a skill
  14. toast — bread
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. club — for golf
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. perch — the fish
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. club — a group
  21. pitch — completely
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. craft — boats

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