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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: rock · perch · fall · saw · pit · rash · calf · pitch

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. rock — music
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. perch — the fish
  6. pit — in a race
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. fall — to drop
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. saw — the tool
  14. rash — hasty
  15. saw — the tool
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — the season
  18. rock — a stone
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. pit — a hole
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. rash — a series
  24. calf — of the leg

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