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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 116 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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. spring — of water
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. lean — to bend
  6. key — in music
  7. swing — in golf
  8. spring — the season
  9. mate — a partner
  10. mate — a friend
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. ball — a great time
  13. key — for a lock
  14. lean — thin
  15. swing — to play on
  16. key — the most important part
  17. spring — a coil
  18. ball — a dance
  19. hand — in cards
  20. mate — to breed
  21. perch — the fish
  22. hand — help
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. hand — part of the body

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