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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 like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. charge — electricity
  5. charge — a price
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. season — in sport
  8. hand — help
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. object — to protest
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. squash — to crush
  14. object — an aim
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. bear — the animal
  17. perch — the fish
  18. hand — in cards
  19. charge — in control
  20. season — of the year
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. object — a thing
  24. straw — a straw man

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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