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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. root — of a plant
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. mate — a partner
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. rush — hurry
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. fine — high quality
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. snap — to click
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rash — a series
  16. rash — hasty
  17. mate — a friend
  18. mate — to breed
  19. perch — the fish
  20. root — the cause
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. root — of a word

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