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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. current — happening now
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. lean — thin
  7. current — electric
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. lean — to bend
  11. land — a country
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. bore — to drill
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. land — to come down
  17. bore — to tire
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. perch — the fish
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. current — of water
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. land — ground
  24. perch — for a bird

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