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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. firm — a company
  3. spell — letters
  4. perch — the fish
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. spell — a short time
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. firm — steady
  9. saw — the tool
  10. spell — magic
  11. firm — decided
  12. branch — a division
  13. ground — crushed
  14. ground — a position
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. sharp — clever
  18. pit — in a race
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. pit — a hole
  22. saw — the tool
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. sharp — exactly

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