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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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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. rest — what's left
  3. clip — for paper
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. firm — steady
  6. row — a line
  7. rest — a break
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. firm — decided
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. row — to paddle
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. key — the most important part
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. firm — a company
  19. key — for a lock
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. bark — to shout
  22. clip — to cut
  23. clip — a video
  24. perch — the fish

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