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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. spell — a short time
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. sharp — clever
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. club — a group
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. club — for golf
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. saw — the tool
  14. rush — hurry
  15. perch — the fish
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. game — a match
  18. game — wild animals
  19. spell — letters
  20. club — for dancing
  21. spell — magic
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. saw — the tool
  24. sharp — with an edge

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