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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. bat — the animal
  5. chair — a leader
  6. tube — a container
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. pitch — completely
  10. key — in music
  11. fine — high quality
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. key — for a lock
  16. fine — all right
  17. current — electric
  18. current — of water
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. key — the most important part
  23. current — happening now
  24. tube — the underground

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