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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 120 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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. drill — army training
  3. row — a line
  4. row — to paddle
  5. drill — a practice
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hand — help
  8. perch — the fish
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. bulb — for light
  13. track — a song
  14. bat — the animal
  15. track — a path
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. track — to keep track
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bulb — for light
  23. drill — the tool
  24. bat — for baseball

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