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

Word bank: perch · chair · pitch · scale · pit · temple · board · straw

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. perch — the fish
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. pitch — completely
  9. board — a committee
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. scale — in music
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. scale — size or range
  14. board — to get on
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. chair — a leader
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. pit — in a race
  24. straw — dry grass

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