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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. file — a document
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. ground — the earth
  7. ground — a position
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. game — a match
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. ground — crushed
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. pitch — completely
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. file — a tool
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. file — a line of people
  20. branch — a division
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. game — wild animals

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