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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. current — of water
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. season — of the year
  6. season — in sport
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. current — electric
  9. chair — a leader
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. chest — of your body
  12. current — happening now
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. roll — a list
  16. roll — a cake
  17. perch — the fish
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — a box
  20. object — to protest
  21. object — a thing
  22. object — an aim
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. pitch — a sports field

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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