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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. perch — the fish
  6. ground — crushed
  7. current — of water
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. pitch — completely
  11. current — electric
  12. kid — child
  13. rush — hurry
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. kid — to tease
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. ground — a position
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. date — the fruit
  21. current — happening now
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. wake — a trail
  24. rush — a thrill

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