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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. firm — steady
  3. season — in sport
  4. current — happening now
  5. root — the cause
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. perch — the fish
  8. root — of a word
  9. firm — decided
  10. root — of a plant
  11. season — of the year
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. last — final
  15. firm — a company
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. last — to go on
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. mate — to breed
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. mate — a friend
  22. current — of water
  23. current — electric
  24. mate — a partner

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