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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. wake — a trail
  3. pop — music
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. perch — the fish
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. pop — to visit
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. season — of the year
  16. pop — soda
  17. content — happy
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. content — the amount
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. season — in sport
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. content — videos and posts

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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