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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. stock — goods
  7. stock — shares
  8. perch — the fish
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. rest — a break
  11. rest — what's left
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. clip — for paper
  17. clip — to cut
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. clip — a video
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. pitch — completely
  24. perch — for a bird

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