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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. season — in sport
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. ground — crushed
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. pitch — completely
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. season — of the year
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. perch — the fish
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. bulb — for light
  21. ground — the earth
  22. bulb — for light
  23. mine — for digging
  24. ground — a position

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