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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. field — farmland
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. perch — the fish
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. march — the month
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. key — for a lock
  12. key — in music
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. field — for sport
  15. lean — to bend
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. march — music
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. key — the most important part
  20. march — the month
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. lean — thin
  23. sharp — clever
  24. field — a subject

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