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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.

Make a worksheet

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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bass — the fish
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — a tin
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. chest — of your body
  9. season — in sport
  10. key — for a lock
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. can — to be able to
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bat — the animal
  18. key — the most important part
  19. perch — the fish
  20. season — of the year
  21. bass — low music
  22. key — in music
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. chest — a box

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