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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. pitch — completely
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. game — a match
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. last — finally
  7. charge — electricity
  8. charge — a price
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. last — to go on
  12. charge — in control
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bat — the animal
  15. perch — the fish
  16. last — final
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. game — wild animals
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. branch — a division
  24. branch — of a bank

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