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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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. clip — a video
  4. clip — for paper
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. perch — the fish
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. season — in sport
  16. pitch — completely
  17. rock — a stone
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. rock — music
  20. clip — to cut
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. season — of the year

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