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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.

Make a worksheet

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: wake · pitch · chair · perch · mine · fine · mug · drill

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. chair — a leader
  4. wake — a trail
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. fine — high quality
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. mug — to rob
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. drill — the tool
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. drill — a practice
  17. drill — army training
  18. mug — a face
  19. perch — the fish
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. fine — all right
  22. mine — for digging
  23. pitch — completely
  24. mug — a cup

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