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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bound — certain
  6. chest — a box
  7. key — for a lock
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. drill — the tool
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. drill — army training
  13. key — in music
  14. stock — shares
  15. chest — of your body
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. key — the most important part
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. stock — goods
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. chest — of your body
  22. drill — a practice
  23. perch — the fish
  24. bound — obliged

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