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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. spring — the season
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. last — finally
  5. pop — to visit
  6. court — of a king
  7. perch — the fish
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — the season
  12. pop — music
  13. last — final
  14. spring — of water
  15. pop — soda
  16. mark — a trace
  17. spring — a coil
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. court — of law
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. mark — a grade
  23. snap — to click
  24. court — for sport

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