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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. swing — in golf
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. mug — to rob
  7. root — of a plant
  8. root — of a word
  9. swing — to play on
  10. perch — the fish
  11. ball — a dance
  12. mug — a cup
  13. swing — music
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. ball — a great time
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. root — the cause
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. ball — a round shape

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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