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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. wound — an injury
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. pass — a permit
  8. perch — the fish
  9. land — to come down
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. stock — shares
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. pitch — completely
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. land — a country
  17. bear — the animal
  18. wound — an injury
  19. stock — goods
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bear — the animal

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