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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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. wound — an injury
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. kid — child
  6. kid — to tease
  7. rash — a series
  8. rash — hasty
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. perch — the fish
  11. ground — a position
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. ground — crushed
  16. ground — the earth
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. firm — steady
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bass — low music
  21. wound — an injury
  22. firm — decided
  23. firm — a company
  24. bass — the fish

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