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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. mark — a trace
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. hand — in cards
  7. firm — steady
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. squash — to crush
  10. shower — rain
  11. prune — to trim
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. prune — to trim
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. firm — decided
  18. hand — help
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — the fish
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. shower — to wash
  23. squash — the sport
  24. firm — a company

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