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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. toast — bread
  5. date — the fruit
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. pass — a permit
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. perch — the fish
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. land — to come down
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. foot — a measure
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. game — wild animals
  22. game — a match
  23. land — a country
  24. date — on the calendar

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