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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 120 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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. mug — a cup
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. perch — the fish
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. wax — to grow
  10. fork — in a road
  11. rule — government
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. rule — a law
  20. mug — to rob
  21. mug — a face
  22. snap — to click
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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