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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. perch — the fish
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. pitch — completely
  8. ball — a dance
  9. mine — for digging
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. court — of law
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. ball — a great time
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. court — of a king
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. track — a song
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. track — a path
  21. track — to keep track
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. court — for sport

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