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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. bear — the animal
  4. perch — the fish
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. chest — of your body
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. spell — magic
  9. chest — a box
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. lie — to recline
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. chest — of your body
  16. deal — to handle
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. spell — letters
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. spell — a short time
  21. bear — the animal
  22. row — to paddle
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. row — a line

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