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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 116 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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. spring — of water
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. mate — to breed
  5. hand — in cards
  6. perch — the fish
  7. charge — electricity
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. saw — the tool
  11. root — the cause
  12. root — of a plant
  13. spring — the season
  14. charge — a price
  15. saw — the tool
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. root — of a word
  20. hand — help
  21. spring — a coil
  22. charge — in control
  23. mate — a partner
  24. mate — a friend

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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