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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. perch — the fish
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. march — music
  6. current — electric
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. season — in sport
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. mate — to breed
  14. march — the month
  15. current — happening now
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. march — the month
  20. season — of the year
  21. current — of water
  22. mate — a partner
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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