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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wind · file · degree · perch · pitcher · foot · pitch · pit

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. pit — in a race
  3. file — a document
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — the fish
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. wind — moving air
  9. foot — a measure
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. degree — an amount
  12. pitch — completely
  13. degree — from a university
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. file — a line of people
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. wind — moving air
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. degree — temperature
  22. pit — a hole
  23. file — a tool
  24. wind — to turn a key

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