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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. swing — music
  6. bear — the animal
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. swing — to play on
  13. perch — the fish
  14. swing — in golf
  15. bat — the animal
  16. vault — a safe
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. perch — for a bird

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