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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: straw · spell · perch · tube · date · last · racket · chair

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. last — final
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. last — to go on
  6. spell — a short time
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. spell — magic
  11. perch — the fish
  12. chair — a leader
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. spell — letters
  17. last — finally
  18. date — the fruit
  19. tube — the underground
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. tube — a container
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — for tennis

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