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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 116 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 works in a ________________ mill.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. perch — the fish
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. cap — a hat
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. fork — in a road
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. row — a line
  17. cap — of ice
  18. swing — to play on
  19. saw — the tool
  20. swing — in golf
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. swing — music
  23. cap — a lid
  24. row — to paddle

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