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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: season · pitcher · track · pitch · file · lean · field · perch

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. season — in sport
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. track — a song
  7. track — a path
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. perch — the fish
  10. pitch — completely
  11. lean — thin
  12. file — a tool
  13. field — farmland
  14. file — a document
  15. lean — to bend
  16. field — a subject
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. field — for sport
  20. track — to keep track
  21. file — a line of people
  22. season — of the year
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. pitcher — a jug

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