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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. mark — a trace
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. kid — child
  5. pitch — completely
  6. snap — to click
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. net — in sport
  14. rash — a series
  15. mark — a grade
  16. net — for catching
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. net — after costs
  21. kid — to tease
  22. rash — hasty
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — the fish

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