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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. last — final
  6. pit — in a race
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. last — finally
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. cold — an illness
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. last — to go on
  14. face — to confront
  15. perch — the fish
  16. face — to point toward
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. pass — a permit
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. face — part of the head
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. cold — not warm

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