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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.

Make a worksheet

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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. lie — to recline
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. bear — the animal
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. spell — a short time
  9. spell — magic
  10. spell — letters
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. bear — the animal
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. chest — a box
  17. perch — the fish
  18. chest — of your body

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