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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.

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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. perch — the fish
  3. last — to go on
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. spring — of water
  8. hand — in cards
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. last — finally
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — to recline
  14. spring — the season
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. last — final
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. hand — help
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. wake — a trail
  23. spring — a coil
  24. pitcher — a jug

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