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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: pitcher · row · arm · trunk · last · clip · perch · pitch

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. row — a line
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. perch — the fish
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. clip — a video
  11. clip — for paper
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. pitch — completely
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. last — final
  18. last — to go on
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. row — to paddle
  21. clip — to cut
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitch — a sports field

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