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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. suit — clothes
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. bound — obliged
  6. fall — to drop
  7. perch — the fish
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. suit — to fit
  10. fall — the season
  11. ground — crushed
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. bound — tied together
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. bound — certain
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fall — to drop
  20. ground — a position
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. ground — the earth
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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