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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. track — to keep track
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. perch — the fish
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. scale — size or range
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. scale — in music
  12. last — to go on
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. track — a path
  15. kid — to tease
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. last — final
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. last — finally
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. bore — to tire
  22. bore — to drill
  23. kid — child
  24. track — a song

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