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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. perch — the fish
  3. root — of a plant
  4. march — music
  5. game — wild animals
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. root — of a word
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. wind — moving air
  13. root — the cause
  14. march — the month
  15. pitch — completely
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. board — to get on
  18. wind — moving air
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. board — a committee
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. march — the month

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