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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. wound — an injury
  4. snap — to click
  5. bear — the animal
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. wound — an injury
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. bear — the animal
  14. squash — to crush
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. pass — a permit
  21. perch — the fish
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. pitch — completely
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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