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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. land — ground
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. row — to paddle
  9. shower — rain
  10. root — the cause
  11. rule — a law
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. root — of a plant
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. land — a country
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. rule — government
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. root — of a word
  20. shower — to wash
  21. perch — the fish
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. row — a line
  24. land — to come down

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