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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 116 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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. fall — to drop
  3. net — after costs
  4. bulb — for light
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — the fish
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. net — for catching
  10. last — finally
  11. land — to come down
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. land — ground
  14. board — to get on
  15. fall — to drop
  16. pitch — completely
  17. last — to go on
  18. last — final
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. bulb — for light
  22. board — a committee
  23. net — in sport
  24. fall — the season

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