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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: current · perch · deal · date · rock · mine · track · pitch

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. track — a song
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. mine — for digging
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. track — a path
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. current — of water
  9. track — to keep track
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. current — electric
  13. deal — to handle
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. current — happening now
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. perch — the fish
  18. rock — a stone
  19. date — the fruit
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. rock — music
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. pitch — completely
  24. deal — an agreement

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