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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. rock — music
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — the fish
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. foot — a measure
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. game — wild animals
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. rock — a stone
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. pitch — completely
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. game — a match
  24. game — a kind of play

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