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

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. swing — in golf
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. band — a music group
  5. key — in music
  6. key — for a lock
  7. kid — child
  8. present — a gift
  9. rest — what's left
  10. perch — the fish
  11. band — a ring
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. present — the time now
  17. rest — a break
  18. swing — music
  19. rest — what's left
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. key — the most important part
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. present — there
  24. kid — to tease

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