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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  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. suit — clothes
  3. shower — rain
  4. mine — for digging
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. suit — to fit
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. pitch — completely
  13. roll — a cake
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. suit — in cards
  17. roll — a list
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bark — to shout
  22. shower — to wash
  23. perch — the fish
  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