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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. root — of a plant
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. stock — goods
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. last — finally
  7. pit — in a race
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. march — the month
  11. stock — shares
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. last — final
  14. pit — a hole
  15. march — music
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. last — to go on
  18. game — wild animals
  19. march — the month
  20. root — of a word
  21. perch — the fish
  22. root — the cause
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. game — a match

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