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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. rush — hurry
  8. field — for sport
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. perch — the fish
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. saw — the tool
  13. field — a subject
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. field — farmland
  19. bulb — for light
  20. saw — the tool
  21. fine — high quality
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bulb — for light

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