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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. face — to point toward
  4. pitch — completely
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. file — a line of people
  7. capital — a city
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. file — a document
  10. season — in sport
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. face — to confront
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. season — of the year
  18. file — a tool
  19. rush — hurry
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. capital — money
  22. face — part of the head
  23. perch — the fish
  24. leaves — of a tree

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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