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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. scale — in music
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. scale — size or range
  6. staff — employees
  7. perch — the fish
  8. cold — not warm
  9. pitch — completely
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. pass — a permit
  16. rush — hurry
  17. cold — an illness
  18. staff — a stick
  19. staff — employees
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. pass — to spend time

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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