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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 120 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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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: tube · perch · march · drill · pit · pitch · cue · face

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  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. tube — in a tire
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. cue — for pool
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. march — the month
  6. tube — a container
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. march — music
  9. drill — a practice
  10. cue — a signal
  11. drill — army training
  12. cue — a hint
  13. face — to point toward
  14. tube — the underground
  15. pit — a hole
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. march — the month
  18. face — part of the head
  19. drill — the tool
  20. pit — in a race
  21. pitch — completely
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. face — to confront
  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