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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. roll — a cake
  4. perch — the fish
  5. roll — a list
  6. pop — soda
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. bore — to tire
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. bore — to drill
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. pop — to visit
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. pass — a permit
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. pop — music
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. shower — to wash
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. shower — rain

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