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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. band — a music group
  3. fall — to drop
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. perch — the fish
  7. ground — a position
  8. bear — the animal
  9. firm — a company
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. pitch — completely
  14. firm — decided
  15. squash — the sport
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. bear — the animal
  18. ground — crushed
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. squash — to crush
  21. ground — the earth
  22. fall — the season
  23. firm — steady
  24. fall — to drop

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