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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. perch — the fish
  3. pitch — completely
  4. bulb — for light
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bulb — for light
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. race — a contest
  10. race — the arms race
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. race — humankind
  19. plane — a tool
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. perch — for a bird

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