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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: pitch · firm · bass · perch · cold · temple · racket · squash

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. firm — steady
  3. cold — an illness
  4. perch — the fish
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. firm — decided
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. firm — a company
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. pitch — completely
  16. squash — to crush
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. squash — the sport
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bass — low music
  24. cold — not warm

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