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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: present · pitch · chest · stick · hide · bulb · perch · game

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. perch — the fish
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bulb — for light
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. pitch — completely
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. chest — of your body
  13. present — a gift
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — a box
  17. bulb — for light
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. present — there
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. game — wild animals
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. present — the time now

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