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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: pitcher · pit · stick · dip · cell · mate · perch · file

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. file — a tool
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. dip — to sink
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. file — a document
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. file — a line of people
  13. mate — to breed
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pit — a hole
  16. cell — in biology
  17. perch — the fish
  18. cell — a phone
  19. pit — in a race
  20. mate — a friend
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. dip — to dunk

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