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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. present — the time now
  7. tear — from crying
  8. fall — the season
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. tear — from crying
  12. mug — to rob
  13. mug — a face
  14. lie — to recline
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. fall — to drop
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. fall — to drop
  20. mug — a cup
  21. perch — the fish
  22. present — a gift
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. tear — to rip

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