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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. season — of the year
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. bound — tied together
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. perch — the fish
  13. bound — obliged
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. cold — not warm
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. cold — an illness
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. stand — to bear
  24. season — in sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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