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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. game — a match
  4. sharp — clever
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. perch — the fish
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. date — the fruit
  17. capital — a city
  18. net — for catching
  19. net — in sport
  20. game — wild animals
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. net — after costs
  24. capital — money

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