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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  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. pitcher — a jug
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. spring — the season
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. spring — a coil
  8. pitch — completely
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. spring — of water
  13. game — wild animals
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. game — a match
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. fine — all right
  22. fine — high quality
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — the fish

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