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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: perch · saw · racket · ground · straw · snap · game · spell

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. spell — a short time
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. spell — letters
  6. ground — crushed
  7. perch — the fish
  8. game — wild animals
  9. ground — a position
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. ground — the earth
  12. game — a match
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. spell — magic
  17. snap — to click
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — a loud noise

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