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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. game — wild animals
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. chest — a box
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. game — a match
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. current — happening now
  12. current — electric
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. perch — the fish
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. current — of water
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — of your body
  21. pound — a weight
  22. pit — in a race
  23. pit — a hole
  24. pound — to hit hard

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