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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. ball — a great time
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. can — a tin
  8. band — a music group
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. can — to be able to
  11. ball — a dance
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. row — to paddle
  14. row — a line
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. band — a ring
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. sharp — clever
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. pass — a permit
  22. can — a tin
  23. perch — the fish
  24. perch — for a bird

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