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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. scale — size or range
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. cold — not warm
  6. rest — what's left
  7. suit — to fit
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. cold — an illness
  11. deal — to handle
  12. scale — in music
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. perch — the fish
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. suit — in cards
  21. rest — what's left
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. suit — clothes
  24. rest — a break

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