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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. scale — size or range
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. bass — the fish
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. stand — to bear
  8. scale — in music
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. perch — the fish
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. mate — to breed
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. rash — a series
  17. bass — low music
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. rash — hasty
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. mate — a partner

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