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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 124 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.

Make a worksheet

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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  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. rest — what's left
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. content — the amount
  7. swing — music
  8. rest — a break
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. rest — what's left
  12. perch — the fish
  13. present — a gift
  14. content — happy
  15. swing — to play on
  16. present — the time now
  17. march — the month
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. swing — in golf
  20. present — there
  21. march — music
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. march — the month
  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