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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. snap — to click
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. mark — a trace
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. roll — a list
  15. ground — the earth
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. ground — a position
  18. mark — a grade
  19. pit — in a race
  20. ground — crushed
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. pit — a hole
  23. pitch — completely
  24. perch — the fish

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