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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.

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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. spring — the season
  5. pitch — completely
  6. cap — a lid
  7. spring — a coil
  8. swing — in golf
  9. current — happening now
  10. spring — of water
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. current — of water
  13. current — electric
  14. cap — of ice
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. perch — the fish
  17. swing — to play on
  18. cap — a hat
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. season — of the year
  21. rash — hasty
  22. season — in sport
  23. rash — a series
  24. swing — music

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