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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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. calf — a young animal
  4. last — finally
  5. chest — of your body
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. swing — to play on
  8. craft — a skill
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. last — final
  11. rash — hasty
  12. craft — boats
  13. swing — music
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — the fish
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. band — a ring
  19. last — to go on
  20. chest — a box
  21. band — a music group
  22. chest — of your body
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. rash — a series

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