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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. field — for sport
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. last — final
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. track — a path
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. pit — a hole
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. last — finally
  12. chip — for betting
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. chip — to eat
  15. field — farmland
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. track — a song
  18. track — to keep track
  19. field — a subject
  20. last — to go on
  21. pitch — completely
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. pit — in a race

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