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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. perch — the fish
  4. mark — a grade
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. rush — hurry
  9. row — to paddle
  10. row — a line
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. last — finally
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. ball — a great time
  15. mark — a trace
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. pitch — completely
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. ball — a dance
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. last — to go on

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