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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. net — for catching
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. net — after costs
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. pop — soda
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. spring — the season
  9. net — in sport
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. spring — a coil
  12. object — a thing
  13. squash — to crush
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. squash — the sport
  17. object — to protest
  18. spring — of water
  19. perch — the fish
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. pop — to visit
  24. object — an aim

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