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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. pop — music
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. last — finally
  6. perch — the fish
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. pop — to visit
  10. staff — employees
  11. hand — help
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — a stick
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. pop — soda
  19. rock — music
  20. rock — a stone
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. last — final
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. hand — in cards

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