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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. object — to protest
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. stand — to bear
  5. craft — a skill
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. object — an aim
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bat — the animal
  14. perch — the fish
  15. craft — boats
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. object — a thing
  20. capital — money
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. capital — a city
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. stand — on your feet

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