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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 116 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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. bulb — for light
  3. perch — the fish
  4. wound — an injury
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. cue — a hint
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. cue — for pool
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. field — for sport
  11. field — farmland
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. press — newspapers
  14. field — a subject
  15. firm — a company
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. press — a publisher
  18. press — to push
  19. snap — to click
  20. cue — a signal
  21. firm — steady
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bulb — for light
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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