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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 116 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: perch · suit · last · mine · lean · board · pitch · ball

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. ball — a great time
  3. board — to get on
  4. suit — to fit
  5. suit — clothes
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. board — a committee
  9. mine — for digging
  10. lean — to bend
  11. ball — a dance
  12. perch — the fish
  13. last — to go on
  14. pitch — completely
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. suit — in cards
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. lean — thin
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. last — finally
  24. mine — belonging to me

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