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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 116 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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. perch — the fish
  3. board — to get on
  4. kid — child
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. mug — a face
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bass — the fish
  10. squash — the sport
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. kid — to tease
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. bass — low music
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. wax — to grow
  20. squash — to crush
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. board — a committee
  23. mug — a cup
  24. mug — to rob

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