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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: file · stick · perch · pitch · pit · cap · hide · saw

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. perch — the fish
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. cap — of ice
  6. saw — the tool
  7. cap — a hat
  8. file — a tool
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. saw — the tool
  13. cap — a lid
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. pit — in a race
  17. file — a document
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. file — a line of people
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. pit — a hole

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