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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. chest — a box
  4. drill — the tool
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. swing — in golf
  8. swing — to play on
  9. bear — the animal
  10. board — to get on
  11. board — a committee
  12. chest — of your body
  13. roll — a cake
  14. roll — a list
  15. chest — of your body
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. bear — the animal
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. swing — music
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. drill — army training
  24. perch — the fish

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