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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. mate — a partner
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. bark — to shout
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. rule — government
  12. mate — a friend
  13. pitch — completely
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. hand — help
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. hand — in cards
  18. rule — a law
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. mate — to breed
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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