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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. last — to go on
  5. bear — the animal
  6. last — final
  7. club — a group
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. bear — the animal
  12. lean — thin
  13. club — for dancing
  14. perch — the fish
  15. ground — crushed
  16. lean — to bend
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. ground — a position
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. pitch — completely
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. ground — the earth
  23. club — for golf
  24. safe — out of danger

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