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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. perch — the fish
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. season — in sport
  5. season — of the year
  6. rash — a series
  7. present — a gift
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. lean — to bend
  11. squash — the sport
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. present — the time now
  14. present — there
  15. lean — thin
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. rash — hasty
  23. squash — to crush
  24. perch — for a bird

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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