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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. degree — from a university
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. object — to protest
  5. stock — shares
  6. perch — the fish
  7. object — an aim
  8. degree — temperature
  9. face — to confront
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. swing — to play on
  12. face — to point toward
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. face — part of the head
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. swing — in golf
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. degree — an amount
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. stock — goods
  23. object — a thing
  24. straw — a straw man

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