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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. mug — a cup
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. perch — the fish
  5. clip — to cut
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. pitch — completely
  8. saw — the tool
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. club — for golf
  11. mug — to rob
  12. clip — a video
  13. drill — a practice
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. face — part of the head
  16. face — to point toward
  17. face — to confront
  18. club — a group
  19. drill — the tool
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. clip — for paper
  22. saw — the tool
  23. club — for dancing
  24. mug — a face

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