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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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Word bank
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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: leaves · game · pitch · shower · perch · mug · lie · current

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. current — of water
  5. mug — a face
  6. current — electric
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. perch — the fish
  10. current — happening now
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. shower — to wash
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. game — wild animals
  15. lie — to recline
  16. mug — to rob
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. mug — a cup
  19. shower — rain
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. game — a match

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