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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. mine — for digging
  3. last — to go on
  4. last — final
  5. scale — in music
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. rest — a break
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. rest — what's left
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. last — finally
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. perch — the fish
  18. bound — obliged
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. rest — what's left
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. scale — size or range
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. bound — certain

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