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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 120 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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. rash — hasty
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. saw — the tool
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. perch — the fish
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. wind — moving air
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. rule — government
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. rule — a law
  22. rash — a series
  23. wind — moving air
  24. saw — the tool

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