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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. net — after costs
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. pitch — completely
  9. net — in sport
  10. net — for catching
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. bore — to tire
  13. vault — a safe
  14. squash — the sport
  15. swing — music
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. squash — to crush
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. swing — in golf
  22. swing — to play on
  23. bore — to drill
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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