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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. roll — a cake
  3. plane — a tool
  4. pass — a permit
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. capital — money
  8. bulb — for light
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. bulb — for light
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. roll — a list
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. deal — to handle
  24. capital — a city

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