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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. perch — the fish
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. lie — to recline
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. board — to get on
  8. swing — in golf
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. swing — music
  15. toast — bread
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. swing — to play on
  18. board — a committee
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. straw — a straw man

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