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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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 · field · capital · row · bay · leaves · net · perch

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. ball — a great time
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. field — farmland
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. net — after costs
  7. perch — the fish
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. capital — a city
  12. field — a subject
  13. row — a line
  14. field — for sport
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. net — in sport
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. capital — money
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. net — for catching
  21. ball — a dance
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. row — to paddle

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