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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. drill — the tool
  4. last — to go on
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. drill — a practice
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. game — wild animals
  9. last — final
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. drill — army training
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. perch — the fish
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. game — a match
  21. bear — the animal
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. last — finally
  24. bear — the animal

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