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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. game — a match
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. mate — a friend
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. present — a gift
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. mate — to breed
  11. saw — the tool
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. perch — the fish
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. mate — a partner
  18. present — there
  19. saw — the tool
  20. game — wild animals
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. present — the time now

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