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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: staff · perch · last · snap · ground · hide · toast · pitcher

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  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. staff — a stick
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. last — final
  4. perch — the fish
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. last — to go on
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. staff — employees
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. ground — the earth
  14. toast — bread
  15. snap — to click
  16. ground — crushed
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. staff — employees
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. ground — a position
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. last — finally
  23. hide — to keep secret
  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