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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 120 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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. perch — the fish
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. ground — a position
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. swing — music
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. rash — a series
  10. ground — the earth
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. ground — crushed
  20. swing — to play on
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. swing — in golf
  23. pitch — completely
  24. arm — part of the body

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