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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. clip — a video
  6. pitch — completely
  7. snap — to click
  8. suit — to fit
  9. mine — for digging
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. clip — for paper
  12. lean — to bend
  13. mark — a grade
  14. suit — clothes
  15. mark — a trace
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — the fish
  18. clip — to cut
  19. suit — in cards
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. lean — thin
  24. pitch — a sports field

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