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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. mine — for digging
  3. perch — the fish
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. club — for golf
  12. march — music
  13. club — a group
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. march — the month
  21. club — for dancing
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. march — the month
  24. arm — part of the body

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