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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. current — of water
  4. staff — employees
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. current — electric
  7. face — to confront
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. current — happening now
  10. track — a song
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. staff — employees
  13. perch — the fish
  14. pitch — completely
  15. staff — a stick
  16. track — a path
  17. track — to keep track
  18. pit — in a race
  19. face — part of the head
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. face — to point toward
  24. pit — a hole

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