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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — the fish
  6. spell — a short time
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. game — wild animals
  9. band — a music group
  10. key — the most important part
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. key — for a lock
  13. game — a match
  14. spell — letters
  15. band — a ring
  16. rash — hasty
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. key — in music
  20. rash — a series
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. spell — magic

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