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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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468
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: perch · bowl · swing · season · wound · craft · tube · pitch

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. pitch — completely
  3. tube — the underground
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. wound — an injury
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. swing — to play on
  8. swing — music
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. craft — a skill
  11. season — of the year
  12. season — in sport
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. tube — a container
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. craft — boats
  19. perch — the fish
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. swing — in golf

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