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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. game — a match
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. snap — to click
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. ground — crushed
  9. ground — a position
  10. ground — the earth
  11. land — ground
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. land — a country
  19. bark — to shout
  20. land — to come down
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. game — wild animals
  24. pitch — completely

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