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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. dip — to sink
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. hand — help
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. rock — music
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. date — the fruit
  22. rock — a stone
  23. hand — in cards
  24. perch — for a bird

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