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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. fall — to drop
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. rush — hurry
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. fall — the season
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. season — in sport
  13. season — of the year
  14. fall — to drop
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. wake — a trail
  18. perch — the fish

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