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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 120 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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. pit — in a race
  4. track — a path
  5. game — wild animals
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. board — a committee
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. track — a song
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. track — to keep track
  13. perch — the fish
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. game — a match
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. deal — to handle
  20. plane — a tool
  21. pit — a hole
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. board — to get on
  24. deal — an agreement

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