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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. land — to come down
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. pop — to visit
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. firm — steady
  7. spring — the season
  8. pass — a permit
  9. current — of water
  10. perch — the fish
  11. current — electric
  12. spring — of water
  13. firm — a company
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. field — farmland
  16. land — ground
  17. spring — a coil
  18. field — a subject
  19. current — happening now
  20. field — for sport
  21. pop — soda
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. land — a country
  24. pop — music

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