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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. staff — employees
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. row — to paddle
  6. hand — help
  7. staff — a stick
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. march — music
  10. staff — employees
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. hand — in cards
  16. march — the month
  17. perch — the fish
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. row — a line
  20. march — the month
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. nail — on a finger

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