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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. bear — the animal
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. court — of a king
  5. rest — what's left
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. fine — all right
  9. branch — a division
  10. ground — crushed
  11. court — for sport
  12. ground — the earth
  13. ground — a position
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. bear — the animal
  16. rest — a break
  17. fine — high quality
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. perch — the fish
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. court — of law
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. rest — what's left

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