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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. swing — to play on
  4. court — for sport
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. swing — in golf
  7. perch — the fish
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — moving air
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. mug — a cup
  12. swing — music
  13. court — of a king
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. file — a line of people
  19. mug — a face
  20. file — a tool
  21. court — of law
  22. mug — to rob
  23. mark — a grade
  24. file — a document

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