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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.

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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: chair · roll · pitch · rock · perch · nail · rush · game

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. rush — hurry
  4. game — a match
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. rock — music
  9. roll — a cake
  10. chair — a leader
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. rock — a stone
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. roll — a list
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. game — wild animals
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. perch — the fish

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