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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. perch — the fish
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. can — a tin
  6. fall — the season
  7. fall — to drop
  8. present — there
  9. can — to be able to
  10. can — a tin
  11. date — the fruit
  12. swing — to play on
  13. swing — in golf
  14. scale — in music
  15. mark — a trace
  16. present — the time now
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. scale — size or range
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. swing — music
  22. mark — a grade
  23. present — a gift
  24. mark — to pay attention

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