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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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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: bear · perch · field · pitcher · pitch · shower · dip · press

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. perch — the fish
  5. pitch — completely
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. field — a subject
  8. bear — the animal
  9. shower — rain
  10. press — newspapers
  11. press — a publisher
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. bear — the animal
  18. shower — to wash
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. field — farmland
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. dip — to sink
  23. press — to push
  24. field — for sport

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