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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. perch — the fish
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. game — a match
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. pass — a permit
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. capital — money
  10. wind — moving air
  11. fine — high quality
  12. firm — decided
  13. firm — a company
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. firm — steady
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. capital — a city
  21. fine — all right
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. wind — moving air
  24. leaves — of a tree

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