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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 120 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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. kick — in football
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. foot — a measure
  12. bass — low music
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. row — a line
  16. shower — rain
  17. shower — to wash
  18. perch — the fish
  19. row — to paddle
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. bass — the fish
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. pitch — completely

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