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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. present — a gift
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. firm — a company
  6. firm — decided
  7. spell — magic
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. spell — a short time
  12. cold — not warm
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — to be able to
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — the fish
  19. firm — steady
  20. mark — a trace
  21. mark — a grade
  22. cold — an illness
  23. spell — letters
  24. present — the time now

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