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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. last — to go on
  4. suit — to fit
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. net — in sport
  7. staff — a stick
  8. suit — clothes
  9. last — finally
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. net — for catching
  12. ground — a position
  13. staff — employees
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. ground — crushed
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. perch — the fish
  19. net — after costs
  20. staff — employees
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. suit — in cards
  24. ground — the earth

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