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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. perch — the fish
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. suit — to fit
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. degree — from a university
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. bear — the animal
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bear — the animal
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. suit — clothes
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — for light
  21. pitch — completely
  22. degree — an amount
  23. degree — temperature
  24. straw — a straw man

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