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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. swing — in golf
  7. firm — steady
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. cold — not warm
  10. perch — the fish
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. firm — a company
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. squash — to crush
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. swing — to play on
  17. firm — decided
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. cold — an illness
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. squash — the sport
  24. arm — a part of something

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