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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 116 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: club · march · hide · fork · perch · clip · safe · pitch

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. clip — to cut
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. club — for dancing
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. march — the month
  7. march — music
  8. march — the month
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. club — for golf
  12. perch — the fish
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. clip — a video
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. fork — in a road
  19. club — a group
  20. pitch — completely
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. clip — for paper
  24. fork — a garden tool

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