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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. wound — an injury
  4. swing — to play on
  5. face — to confront
  6. perch — the fish
  7. swing — in golf
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. stand — to bear
  11. field — a subject
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. face — to point toward
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. rock — a stone
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. swing — music
  20. face — part of the head
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. field — farmland
  23. field — for sport
  24. rock — music

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