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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: perch · net · suit · last · pitch · pop · saw · snap

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. net — in sport
  4. snap — to click
  5. saw — the tool
  6. pop — to visit
  7. perch — the fish
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. pitch — completely
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. pop — music
  13. last — finally
  14. last — final
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. saw — the tool
  18. suit — in cards
  19. suit — clothes
  20. last — to go on
  21. net — for catching
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. net — after costs
  24. pop — soda

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