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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 116 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 coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. capital — a city
  5. rock — a stone
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. perch — the fish
  8. mine — for digging
  9. drill — a practice
  10. swing — to play on
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. drill — army training
  14. swing — music
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. shower — rain
  17. press — to push
  18. drill — the tool
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. press — a publisher
  21. rock — music
  22. press — newspapers
  23. capital — money
  24. shower — to wash

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