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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. last — to go on
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. current — happening now
  8. firm — decided
  9. firm — steady
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. current — electric
  13. bark — to shout
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — the fish
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fall — the season
  19. current — of water
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. pitch — completely
  22. last — finally
  23. last — final
  24. firm — a company

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