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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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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. bass — low music
  5. perch — the fish
  6. rush — hurry
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. bear — the animal
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. pitch — completely
  12. bear — the animal
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. pit — in a race
  18. mine — for digging
  19. pit — a hole
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bass — the fish
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. bear — to put up with

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