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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: mouse · pitch · kid · lean · stem · content · perch · toast

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. toast — bread
  5. kid — child
  6. content — the amount
  7. content — happy
  8. perch — the fish
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. pitch — completely
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. kid — to tease
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. lean — to bend
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. stem — to come from
  20. lean — thin
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. lean — to rest against

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