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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: ball · pitcher · field · wave · game · object · land · perch

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. game — wild animals
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. ball — a dance
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. field — a subject
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. object — a thing
  9. land — a country
  10. game — a match
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. land — ground
  13. object — to protest
  14. field — for sport
  15. field — farmland
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. perch — the fish
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. land — to come down
  22. object — an aim
  23. ball — a great time
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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