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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 116 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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. saw — the tool
  4. pop — music
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. degree — temperature
  8. pop — soda
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. ball — a dance
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. degree — an amount
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. ball — a great time
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. degree — from a university
  20. stand — to bear
  21. saw — the tool
  22. pop — to visit
  23. pitch — completely
  24. ball — a round shape

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