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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. track — a song
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. perch — the fish
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. track — to keep track
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. track — a path
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. ground — crushed
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. hand — help
  20. ground — a position
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. hand — in cards
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. pass — a permit

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