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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. present — the time now
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — the fruit
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. pop — music
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. can — a tin
  13. perch — the fish
  14. pitch — completely
  15. pop — to visit
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — to be able to
  20. present — there
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. present — a gift
  23. pop — soda
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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