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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. perch — the fish
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. stem — to come from
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. vault — a safe
  8. net — after costs
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. track — a song
  12. track — to keep track
  13. net — in sport
  14. net — for catching
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. row — to paddle
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. track — a path
  21. row — a line
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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