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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. season — of the year
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. ground — crushed
  9. tear — to rip
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. season — in sport
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. ground — the earth
  16. tear — from crying
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — the fish
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. ground — a position
  24. tear — from crying

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