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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. cold — an illness
  9. scale — in music
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. board — a committee
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — the fish
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. board — to get on
  17. cold — not warm
  18. scale — size or range
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. scale — for weighing

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