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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. perch — the fish
  4. kick — in football
  5. game — wild animals
  6. degree — from a university
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. game — a match
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. sharp — clever
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. degree — an amount
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. snap — to click
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. degree — temperature
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. kick — with a leg

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