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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: snap · plane · suit · perch · straw · track · chest · stick

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. suit — to fit
  5. snap — to click
  6. suit — in cards
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. track — to keep track
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. chest — of your body
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. perch — the fish
  15. chest — a box
  16. plane — a tool
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. track — a song
  22. suit — clothes
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. track — a path

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