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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
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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: last · band · perch · pitch · file · leaves · mouse · rule

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. pitch — completely
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. file — a line of people
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. last — finally
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. last — to go on
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. band — a music group
  13. file — a document
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. rule — a law
  19. perch — the fish
  20. band — a ring
  21. rule — government
  22. last — final
  23. file — a tool
  24. pitch — a sports field

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