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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. object — to protest
  3. object — a thing
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. ground — the earth
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. last — final
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. perch — the fish
  12. last — finally
  13. ground — crushed
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. object — an aim
  16. swing — in golf
  17. ground — a position
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. swing — to play on
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. swing — music
  22. pitch — completely
  23. last — to go on
  24. straw — a straw man

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