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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: perch · bulb · pit · tear · pitch · net · charge · mug

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. perch — the fish
  3. pit — in a race
  4. charge — electricity
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. tear — to rip
  8. mug — a cup
  9. pitch — completely
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. tear — from crying
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. bulb — for light
  15. charge — in control
  16. pit — a hole
  17. mug — to rob
  18. charge — a price
  19. bulb — for light
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. net — in sport
  22. net — for catching
  23. net — after costs
  24. tear — from crying

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