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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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. pitch — completely
  4. bore — to tire
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. perch — the fish
  7. bark — to shout
  8. rest — what's left
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. rash — a series
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. rest — a break
  18. rash — hasty
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. row — to paddle
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. bore — to drill
  24. row — a line

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