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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. plane — a tool
  5. band — a ring
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. band — a music group
  8. march — the month
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. perch — the fish
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. bat — the animal
  16. ball — a great time
  17. march — the month
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. ball — a dance
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. march — music
  24. hide — animal skin

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