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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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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: perch · fine · suit · pitch · pop · rash · foot · clip

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. suit — clothes
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. suit — to fit
  6. rash — hasty
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. pop — music
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. clip — for paper
  11. fine — all right
  12. foot — a measure
  13. suit — in cards
  14. pitch — completely
  15. rash — a series
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. perch — the fish
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. pop — to visit
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. pop — soda
  23. clip — to cut
  24. clip — a video

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