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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. fine — high quality
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. tear — from crying
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. charge — electricity
  8. pitch — completely
  9. capital — a city
  10. tear — to rip
  11. fine — all right
  12. capital — money
  13. tear — from crying
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. charge — in control
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. charge — a price
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. fork — in a road
  24. fork — to eat with

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