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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  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. straw — a straw man
  2. chest — a box
  3. object — a thing
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. chest — of your body
  6. swing — music
  7. rule — government
  8. object — an aim
  9. perch — the fish
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. object — to protest
  13. wake — a trail
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. prune — to trim
  17. rule — a law
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. chest — of your body
  20. swing — in golf
  21. prune — to trim
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. swing — to play on
  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