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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. content — happy
  4. date — the fruit
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. content — the amount
  7. suit — in cards
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. vault — a safe
  12. plane — a tool
  13. suit — clothes
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. suit — to fit
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. shower — to wash
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. perch — the fish
  24. shower — rain

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