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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.

Make a worksheet

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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Word bank
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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 asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. bound — tied together
  3. game — wild animals
  4. game — a match
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. bound — obliged
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. perch — the fish
  17. spell — a short time
  18. spell — letters
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bound — certain
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. straw — dry grass

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