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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. toast — bread
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. season — in sport
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. track — to keep track
  9. track — a song
  10. bound — tied together
  11. pitch — completely
  12. bound — certain
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bat — the animal
  15. perch — the fish
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bound — obliged
  22. season — of the year
  23. track — a path
  24. perch — for a bird

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