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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. deal — to handle
  3. squash — to crush
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. bank — of a river
  6. swing — to play on
  7. present — a gift
  8. present — the time now
  9. bank — for money
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. squash — the sport
  13. swing — in golf
  14. perch — the fish
  15. file — a line of people
  16. swing — music
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. present — there
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. bank — for money
  22. file — a tool
  23. file — a document
  24. stand — for spectators

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