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

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. mate — a friend
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. wind — moving air
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. mate — a partner
  8. land — ground
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. land — a country
  13. mate — to breed
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. land — to come down
  17. pit — in a race
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. pit — a hole
  20. wind — moving air
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. perch — the fish
  24. mouse — for a computer

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