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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. last — finally
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. swing — to play on
  7. pound — a weight
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. last — final
  10. ground — the earth
  11. swing — music
  12. lie — to recline
  13. saw — the tool
  14. ground — a position
  15. saw — the tool
  16. tube — the underground
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. swing — in golf
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. ground — crushed
  21. last — to go on
  22. tube — a container
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. lie — an untruth

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