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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. kid — to tease
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. mate — a friend
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. saw — the tool
  7. fine — all right
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. track — a path
  12. perch — the fish
  13. staff — employees
  14. fine — high quality
  15. kid — child
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. track — a song
  18. track — to keep track
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. mate — to breed
  22. staff — employees
  23. mate — a partner
  24. saw — the tool

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