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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. last — to go on
  6. perch — the fish
  7. firm — decided
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. prune — to trim
  10. firm — a company
  11. last — finally
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. pitch — completely
  14. court — for sport
  15. last — final
  16. firm — steady
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. court — of law
  19. court — of a king
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bat — the animal
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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