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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 120 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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. perch — the fish
  6. bound — tied together
  7. pitch — completely
  8. content — happy
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. row — a line
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. row — to paddle
  17. content — the amount
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bound — certain
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bound — obliged
  24. perch — for a bird

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