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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. file — a tool
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. bat — the animal
  5. swing — in golf
  6. swing — music
  7. spell — magic
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. spell — a short time
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. perch — the fish
  14. file — a document
  15. spell — letters
  16. chip — for betting
  17. chip — to eat
  18. file — a line of people
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. swing — to play on
  24. pit — in a race

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