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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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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: pitcher · pop · perch · spring · object · club · game · ground

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. object — to protest
  4. spring — of water
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. pop — soda
  8. pop — to visit
  9. game — wild animals
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. game — a match
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. ground — a position
  14. club — for dancing
  15. pop — music
  16. ground — the earth
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. perch — the fish
  19. ground — crushed
  20. spring — the season
  21. object — a thing
  22. spring — a coil
  23. club — for golf
  24. object — an aim

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