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

Word bank: squash · perch · net · saw · lash · straw · toast · rest

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. net — after costs
  3. saw — the tool
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. net — in sport
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. net — for catching
  8. rest — what's left
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. rest — what's left
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. saw — the tool
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. squash — the sport
  18. squash — to crush
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. rest — a break
  21. perch — the fish
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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