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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 120 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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. last — to go on
  4. march — music
  5. stem — to come from
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. perch — the fish
  9. last — final
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. last — finally
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. march — the month
  16. deal — to handle
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. march — the month
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — a tin
  24. kick — in football

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