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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. clip — a video
  3. ground — a position
  4. perch — the fish
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. clip — for paper
  7. fine — all right
  8. ground — crushed
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. ground — the earth
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. fine — high quality
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. pitch — completely
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. clip — to cut

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