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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 116 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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. ball — a great time
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. clip — for paper
  6. wake — a trail
  7. firm — steady
  8. plane — a tool
  9. clip — a video
  10. clip — to cut
  11. wound — an injury
  12. perch — the fish
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. fall — to drop
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. wound — an injury
  20. firm — a company
  21. fall — the season
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. fall — to drop
  24. ball — a dance

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