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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  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. swing — music
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. game — a match
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. swing — in golf
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. tear — from crying
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. pit — a hole
  14. tear — from crying
  15. fork — in a road
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. swing — to play on
  18. tear — to rip
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. pit — in a race
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  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