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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. mate — a partner
  9. plane — a tool
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. tear — from crying
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. net — in sport
  14. net — for catching
  15. tear — from crying
  16. mate — to breed
  17. tear — to rip
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. perch — the fish
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. mate — a friend
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. net — after costs

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