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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 drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. squash — the sport
  4. rest — what's left
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. ball — a great time
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. ball — a dance
  12. pop — soda
  13. rest — a break
  14. pop — to visit
  15. date — the fruit
  16. craft — a skill
  17. pop — music
  18. squash — to crush
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. rest — what's left
  21. craft — boats
  22. perch — the fish
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. craft — a handicraft

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