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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  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 — for a bird
  2. perch — the fish
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. foot — a measure
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. rock — a stone
  13. bear — the animal
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. saw — the tool
  16. bear — the animal
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. sharp — clever
  19. rock — music
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. swing — music
  22. swing — to play on
  23. saw — the tool
  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