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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 don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. last — to go on
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. pop — soda
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pop — music
  7. pop — to visit
  8. perch — the fish
  9. net — in sport
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. net — for catching
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. last — final
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. last — finally
  20. net — after costs
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. perch — for a bird

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