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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 116 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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. dip — to sink
  6. club — a group
  7. wake — a trail
  8. capital — money
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. pass — a permit
  12. hand — help
  13. club — for dancing
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. capital — a city
  17. club — for golf
  18. perch — the fish
  19. pitch — completely
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. hand — in cards

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