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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. fine — high quality
  7. game — wild animals
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. root — the cause
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. fine — all right
  12. root — of a word
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. perch — the fish
  17. root — of a plant
  18. game — a match
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. mine — for digging
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. cabinet — ministers

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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