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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 120 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. perch — the fish
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. hand — help
  9. rash — hasty
  10. ground — crushed
  11. fine — all right
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. ground — a position
  15. ground — the earth
  16. snap — to click
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. hand — in cards
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. pitch — completely
  23. rash — a series
  24. perch — for a bird

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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