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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. mug — a cup
  3. mug — a face
  4. swing — in golf
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. season — of the year
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. season — in sport
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. wake — a trail
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. capital — a city
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. saw — the tool
  19. mug — to rob
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. saw — the tool
  22. swing — music
  23. perch — the fish
  24. capital — money

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