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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 116 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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pitch — completely
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. bat — the animal
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. kid — to tease
  9. suit — to fit
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. march — the month
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. march — music
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. suit — in cards
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. march — the month
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. perch — the fish
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. suit — clothes
  24. pitcher — a jug

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