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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: perch · cue · jam · craft · track · pitch · root · foot

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. perch — the fish
  4. root — of a plant
  5. track — a path
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. cue — for pool
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. root — of a word
  10. foot — a measure
  11. craft — a skill
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. craft — boats
  14. track — a song
  15. cue — a signal
  16. cue — a hint
  17. pitch — completely
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. track — to keep track
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. root — the cause
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. jam — in traffic

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