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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: staff · object · mug · perch · rush · drill · land · pitch

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. rush — hurry
  4. staff — employees
  5. mug — to rob
  6. object — to protest
  7. perch — the fish
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. object — an aim
  11. drill — a practice
  12. land — a country
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. land — to come down
  15. mug — a cup
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. drill — the tool
  18. drill — army training
  19. object — a thing
  20. staff — employees
  21. land — ground
  22. staff — a stick
  23. mug — a face
  24. rush — a thrill

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