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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. swing — music
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. perch — the fish
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. bear — the animal
  10. wound — an injury
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. swing — in golf
  13. bear — the animal
  14. hand — in cards
  15. pit — in a race
  16. wound — an injury
  17. pit — a hole
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. hand — help

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