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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. cold — an illness
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. fork — in a road
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. cold — not warm
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. perch — the fish
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. rock — a stone
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. chair — a leader

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