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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. pitch — completely
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. clip — a video
  6. perch — the fish
  7. game — a match
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. game — wild animals
  13. prune — to trim
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. land — ground
  16. clip — to cut
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. clip — for paper
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. land — to come down
  21. land — a country
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. pass — a permit
  24. pass — to succeed

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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