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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. court — for sport
  3. charge — electricity
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. shower — rain
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. rash — a series
  8. perch — the fish
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. court — of a king
  12. court — of law
  13. shower — to wash
  14. rash — hasty
  15. charge — a price
  16. swing — to play on
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. chair — a leader
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. charge — in control
  23. swing — music
  24. bat — the animal

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