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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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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 · jam · perch · shower · row · present · deal · pit

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  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. shower — to wash
  2. present — a gift
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. deal — to handle
  5. row — a line
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. pit — in a race
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. row — to paddle
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. pit — a hole
  17. shower — rain
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. pitch — completely
  21. present — there
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. present — the time now
  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