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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. staff — employees
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. staff — employees
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. bear — the animal
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. field — a subject
  9. field — for sport
  10. club — a group
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. staff — a stick
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. perch — the fish
  15. club — for dancing
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. field — farmland
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. bear — the animal
  22. club — for golf
  23. lie — to recline
  24. deal — to handle

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