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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mine — for digging
  5. swing — in golf
  6. swing — music
  7. hand — in cards
  8. chip — to eat
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. swing — to play on
  11. chip — for betting
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. march — the month
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. perch — the fish
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. hand — help
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. fork — in a road
  22. march — music
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. march — the month

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