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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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. temple — side of the head
  4. key — for a lock
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. spell — letters
  7. perch — the fish
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. object — a thing
  11. spell — a short time
  12. court — of law
  13. spell — magic
  14. object — to protest
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. court — for sport
  17. key — in music
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. object — an aim
  20. key — the most important part
  21. court — of a king
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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