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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 coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. perch — the fish
  4. can — a tin
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. swing — to play on
  7. can — to be able to
  8. file — a tool
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. swing — music
  11. can — a tin
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. file — a document
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. file — a line of people
  20. fine — all right
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. sharp — clever
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. fine — high quality

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