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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. march — the month
  6. march — the month
  7. wind — moving air
  8. last — finally
  9. present — a gift
  10. wind — moving air
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. last — final
  13. last — to go on
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. stand — to bear
  16. present — the time now
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. present — there
  19. pitch — completely
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. march — music
  24. perch — 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