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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. present — there
  3. charge — in control
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. fine — all right
  6. perch — the fish
  7. race — a contest
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. charge — a price
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. race — the arms race
  13. fall — the season
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. present — the time now
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. fall — to drop
  18. present — a gift
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. fall — to drop
  22. charge — electricity
  23. race — humankind
  24. perch — for a bird

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