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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. cap — of ice
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. cap — a hat
  5. bear — the animal
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. mug — to rob
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. mug — a cup
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. mug — a face
  16. perch — the fish
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. cap — a lid
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. bear — the animal
  24. arm — part of the body

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