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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. ball — a great time
  3. kick — in football
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. cell — a phone
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. present — a gift
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. ground — crushed
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. perch — the fish
  13. ball — a dance
  14. ground — a position
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. ground — the earth
  18. mark — a trace
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. mark — a grade
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. present — there
  23. cell — in biology
  24. stand — to bear

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