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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. prune — to trim
  4. firm — a company
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. plane — a tool
  7. rush — hurry
  8. prune — to trim
  9. firm — decided
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. field — a subject
  14. march — music
  15. field — farmland
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. field — for sport
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. pitch — completely
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. perch — the fish
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. perch — for a bird

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