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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. kid — child
  4. track — a song
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. track — to keep track
  9. saw — the tool
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. saw — the tool
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. kid — to tease
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. rock — a stone
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. pitch — completely
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. track — a path
  22. rock — music
  23. bark — to shout
  24. perch — the fish

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