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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. swing — music
  3. pit — a hole
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. bound — tied together
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. bound — certain
  10. swing — to play on
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. swing — in golf
  18. branch — a division
  19. perch — the fish
  20. pit — in a race
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. bound — obliged
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. stand — to bear

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