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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. dip — to sink
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. roll — a cake
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bark — to shout
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. pass — a permit
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. roll — a list
  15. track — a path
  16. track — to keep track
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. track — a song
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. fan — to cool the air

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