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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. dip — to sink
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. firm — a company
  7. root — of a word
  8. rash — hasty
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. firm — steady
  13. snap — to click
  14. bat — the animal
  15. root — of a plant
  16. root — the cause
  17. date — the fruit
  18. firm — decided
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. perch — the fish
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. rash — a series

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