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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. dip — to sink
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. season — in sport
  6. firm — a company
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. perch — the fish
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. firm — steady
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. clip — a video
  17. season — of the year
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. clip — for paper
  22. bulb — for light
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. clip — to cut

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