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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 · swing · date · perch · rash · roll · firm · snap

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. pitch — completely
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. rash — hasty
  6. swing — to play on
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. date — the fruit
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. perch — the fish
  12. swing — in golf
  13. roll — a list
  14. firm — steady
  15. roll — a cake
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. firm — decided
  18. firm — a company
  19. rash — a series
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. snap — to click
  22. swing — music
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. roll — on a roll

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