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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. current — of water
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. bass — low music
  8. bass — the fish
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. lean — to bend
  13. lean — thin
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. perch — the fish
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. current — happening now
  20. pass — a permit
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. current — electric
  23. row — to paddle
  24. row — a line

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