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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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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 · key · court · rest · present · pitch · tear · stem

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. present — the time now
  4. present — there
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — what's left
  7. key — in music
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. key — for a lock
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. court — of law
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. key — the most important part
  15. perch — the fish
  16. tear — from crying
  17. court — for sport
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. tear — from crying
  20. court — of a king
  21. pitch — completely
  22. rest — a break
  23. tear — to rip
  24. stem — to come from

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