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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. pop — soda
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. season — of the year
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. last — final
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. firm — a company
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. pop — music
  13. season — in sport
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. firm — decided
  16. perch — the fish
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. bark — to shout
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. firm — steady
  22. date — the fruit
  23. last — to go on
  24. pop — to visit

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