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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.

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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. board — to get on
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. mate — a friend
  5. can — a tin
  6. perch — the fish
  7. staff — employees
  8. field — a subject
  9. mate — to breed
  10. face — to point toward
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. board — a committee
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. face — part of the head
  15. field — for sport
  16. face — to confront
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. staff — employees
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — to be able to
  21. mate — a partner
  22. staff — a stick
  23. field — farmland
  24. board — a flat piece

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