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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  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. pitch — a sales talk
  2. track — to keep track
  3. pitch — completely
  4. cap — a hat
  5. kick — in football
  6. shower — to wash
  7. rest — what's left
  8. shower — rain
  9. snap — to click
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. perch — the fish
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. rest — a break
  18. cap — of ice
  19. track — a song
  20. rest — what's left
  21. cap — a lid
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. track — a path
  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