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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. cue — a hint
  3. tear — from crying
  4. pitch — completely
  5. tear — from crying
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. game — a match
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. game — wild animals
  15. tear — to rip
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. cue — a signal
  18. craft — boats
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. craft — a skill
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. cue — for pool
  24. perch — the fish

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