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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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 shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. last — finally
  4. last — to go on
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. rock — music
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. perch — the fish
  12. pitch — completely
  13. last — final
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. game — wild animals
  16. rock — a stone
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. game — a match
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. rush — hurry

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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