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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. perch — the fish
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. face — to confront
  9. pop — music
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. face — to point toward
  13. last — finally
  14. pop — to visit
  15. pop — soda
  16. prune — to trim
  17. last — to go on
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. face — part of the head
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. kick — in football
  24. last — final

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