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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.

Make a worksheet

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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. last — to go on
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. snap — to click
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. last — finally
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. rash — hasty
  11. march — the month
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — the fish
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. last — final
  17. rash — a series
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. march — music
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. march — the month
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. fan — a supporter

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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