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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. dip — to sink
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. land — a country
  6. march — music
  7. perch — the fish
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. march — the month
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. march — the month
  15. land — to come down
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. land — ground
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. racket — for tennis

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