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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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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: squash · key · firm · wake · sharp · fall · pitcher · perch

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. fall — the season
  3. squash — to crush
  4. sharp — clever
  5. firm — steady
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. firm — a company
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. key — in music
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. perch — the fish
  12. wake — a trail
  13. squash — the sport
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. key — the most important part
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. key — for a lock
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — to drop

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