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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. present — a gift
  4. key — the most important part
  5. club — for golf
  6. swing — music
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. key — in music
  9. club — for dancing
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. key — for a lock
  12. swing — to play on
  13. face — part of the head
  14. face — to confront
  15. swing — in golf
  16. face — to point toward
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. club — a group
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. present — there
  22. perch — the fish
  23. present — the time now
  24. season — in sport

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