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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. perch — the fish
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. club — for golf
  5. mate — a partner
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. club — for dancing
  8. bound — certain
  9. bound — obliged
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. vault — a safe
  13. mate — to breed
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. saw — the tool
  16. club — a group
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. saw — the tool
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. mate — a friend
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. toast — bread
  23. bound — tied together
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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