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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. perch — the fish
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — to trim
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. land — ground
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. land — to come down
  10. land — a country
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. fork — in a road
  13. pitch — completely
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. bear — the animal
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. board — a committee
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. board — to get on
  24. bear — the animal

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