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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. hand — help
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. pitch — completely
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. hand — in cards
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. season — in sport
  17. rush — hurry
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. season — of the year
  21. perch — the fish
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. racket — a loud noise

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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