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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: perch · last · pit · season · stand · sharp · firm · saw

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. last — to go on
  4. pit — in a race
  5. perch — the fish
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. saw — the tool
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. saw — the tool
  10. firm — decided
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. firm — steady
  13. season — in sport
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. firm — a company
  16. last — finally
  17. pit — a hole
  18. last — final
  19. sharp — clever
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. stand — to bear

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