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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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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. roll — a cake
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. rest — a break
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. bass — the fish
  12. rest — what's left
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. sharp — clever
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. roll — a list
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. bass — low music
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. rest — what's left
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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