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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: stock · hide · game · perch · cap · lean · pitch · current

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. game — a match
  5. current — electric
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. pitch — completely
  8. lean — to bend
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. cap — of ice
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. lean — thin
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. cap — a lid
  18. perch — the fish
  19. current — happening now
  20. stock — shares
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. current — of water
  23. stock — goods
  24. game — wild animals

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