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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. perch — the fish
  3. swing — music
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. season — of the year
  6. band — a ring
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. band — a music group
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. season — in sport
  12. lie — to recline
  13. swing — in golf
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. clip — a video
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. clip — for paper
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. pitch — completely
  20. clip — to cut
  21. bore — to drill
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bore — to tire

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