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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. roll — a cake
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — to be able to
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. last — finally
  9. last — to go on
  10. ground — a position
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. roll — a list
  13. can — a tin
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. ground — the earth
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. present — a gift
  18. present — there
  19. dip — to sink
  20. perch — the fish
  21. present — the time now
  22. ground — crushed
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. last — final

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