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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. wake — a trail
  5. ground — a position
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. object — to protest
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. field — for sport
  12. field — farmland
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. pound — a weight
  17. ground — crushed
  18. field — a subject
  19. object — an aim
  20. pass — a permit
  21. ground — the earth
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. object — a thing
  24. calf — a young animal

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