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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 116 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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468
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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. firm — a company
  4. band — a ring
  5. firm — steady
  6. snap — to click
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. object — an aim
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. band — a music group
  16. object — a thing
  17. object — to protest
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. perch — the fish
  20. firm — decided
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. straw — a straw man

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