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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: coach · stand · row · scale · perch · deal · shower · pitch

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. row — a line
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. shower — rain
  9. shower — to wash
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. deal — to handle
  13. row — to paddle
  14. pitch — completely
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. scale — size or range
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. scale — in music
  22. perch — the fish
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. stand — to bear

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