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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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. firm — steady
  3. pit — a hole
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. perch — the fish
  6. bat — the animal
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. prune — to trim
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. last — to go on
  15. prune — to trim
  16. foot — a measure
  17. last — finally
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. firm — a company
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. firm — decided
  22. pit — in a race
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. last — final

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