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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. perch — the fish
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. pit — a hole
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cap — a hat
  9. cap — of ice
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. court — of law
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. race — a contest
  15. court — for sport
  16. deal — to handle
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. court — of a king
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. race — the arms race
  23. race — humankind
  24. pitch — completely

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