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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. perch — the fish
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. cap — a lid
  5. cap — of ice
  6. cap — a hat
  7. clip — a video
  8. staff — a stick
  9. staff — employees
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. clip — to cut
  12. clip — for paper
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. rule — a law
  16. bass — the fish
  17. swing — music
  18. rule — government
  19. swing — in golf
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. bass — low music
  22. staff — employees
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — a trainer

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