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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 120 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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. pit — in a race
  7. last — finally
  8. pit — a hole
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. craft — a skill
  12. perch — the fish
  13. capital — money
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. face — part of the head
  16. face — to confront
  17. craft — boats
  18. capital — a city
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. pitch — completely
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. face — to point toward
  23. wax — to grow
  24. last — to go on

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