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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. foot — a measure
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. scale — in music
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. bat — the animal
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. staff — employees
  11. staff — employees
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. perch — the fish
  14. mark — a grade
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — moving air
  17. scale — size or range
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. staff — a stick
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. mark — a trace
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. pitch — completely

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