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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 120 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: pitch · foot · perch · field · club · tube · cold · leaves

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. foot — a measure
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. club — for golf
  12. pitch — completely
  13. field — farmland
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cold — not warm
  16. field — a subject
  17. club — for dancing
  18. tube — a container
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. field — for sport
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. tube — the underground
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. perch — the fish

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