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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. swing — in golf
  3. object — to protest
  4. perch — the fish
  5. swing — music
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. object — an aim
  9. swing — to play on
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. drill — a practice
  13. object — a thing
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. spring — of water
  16. drill — army training
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. spring — the season
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. drill — the tool
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. deal — to handle
  23. spring — a coil
  24. coach — a trainer

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