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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. mate — a partner
  5. row — a line
  6. land — ground
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. row — to paddle
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. squash — the sport
  12. chair — a leader
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. land — a country
  18. perch — the fish
  19. mate — a friend
  20. fine — high quality
  21. mate — to breed
  22. land — to come down
  23. fine — all right
  24. squash — to crush

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