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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. bass — low music
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. perch — the fish
  7. board — to get on
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. rock — a stone
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. deal — to handle
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bass — the fish
  16. board — a committee
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. rock — music
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bat — the animal
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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