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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 120 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. lie — to recline
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. mark — a trace
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. court — for sport
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. cell — in biology
  15. pit — in a race
  16. pit — a hole
  17. mark — a grade
  18. court — of law
  19. cell — a phone
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. pass — a permit
  23. court — of a king
  24. pass — to succeed

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