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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. perch — the fish
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. pitch — completely
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. last — finally
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. clip — for paper
  16. last — final
  17. clip — a video
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. saw — the tool
  20. last — to go on
  21. clip — to cut
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. sharp — clever
  24. straw — dry grass

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