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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. track — a song
  5. perch — the fish
  6. track — to keep track
  7. game — a match
  8. march — music
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. cue — a hint
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. cue — for pool
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. march — the month
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. game — wild animals
  20. cue — a signal
  21. wound — an injury
  22. track — a path
  23. wax — to grow
  24. march — the month

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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