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

Word bank: straw · present · perch · last · pit · coach · kid · nail

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. kid — to tease
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. last — finally
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. last — final
  7. present — a gift
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — the fish
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. last — to go on
  14. present — there
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. pit — a hole
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. present — the time now
  22. kid — child
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. pit — in a race

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