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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: row · pitcher · pit · hide · racket · firm · clip · perch

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. clip — a video
  3. perch — the fish
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. row — a line
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. clip — for paper
  12. firm — a company
  13. row — to paddle
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. firm — steady
  16. firm — decided
  17. pit — a hole
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. pit — in a race
  23. clip — to cut
  24. racket — for tennis

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