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

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. swing — to play on
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. net — after costs
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. net — in sport
  9. snap — to click
  10. net — for catching
  11. swing — music
  12. mine — for digging
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. firm — steady
  16. pit — in a race
  17. pit — a hole
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. firm — a company
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. firm — decided
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. swing — in golf

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