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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. wind — moving air
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. track — a song
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. perch — the fish
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. wind — moving air
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. deal — to handle
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. row — a line
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. row — to paddle
  22. track — to keep track
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. track — a path

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