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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — the fish
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. field — a subject
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. clip — for paper
  10. pitch — completely
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. clip — to cut
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. clip — a video
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. field — farmland
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. field — for sport
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. nail — for a hammer

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