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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. pitch — completely
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. mug — a cup
  5. ground — crushed
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. game — wild animals
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. ground — the earth
  10. fall — to drop
  11. land — ground
  12. mug — to rob
  13. mug — a face
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — the season
  16. perch — the fish
  17. land — a country
  18. land — to come down
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. ground — a position

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