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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 124 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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. march — the month
  3. spring — a coil
  4. firm — decided
  5. spring — the season
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. spring — of water
  10. pitch — completely
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. firm — a company
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. march — music
  16. firm — steady
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. snap — to click
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. march — the month
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. dip — to sink

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