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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. land — to come down
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. perch — the fish
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — what's left
  8. ground — the earth
  9. prune — to trim
  10. field — a subject
  11. face — part of the head
  12. rest — a break
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. pitch — completely
  15. field — for sport
  16. prune — to trim
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. land — ground
  19. field — farmland
  20. face — to confront
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. land — a country
  23. ground — a position
  24. ground — crushed

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