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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. pitch — completely
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. spell — a short time
  5. perch — the fish
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. pound — a weight
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. prune — to trim
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. spell — magic
  14. bat — the animal
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bark — to shout
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. spell — letters
  24. pound — to hit hard

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