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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. rest — a break
  3. game — wild animals
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. track — to keep track
  8. fall — to drop
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — what's left
  12. track — a path
  13. fall — to drop
  14. game — a match
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. fall — the season
  21. perch — the fish
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. track — a song
  24. calf — of the leg

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