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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. perch — the fish
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. bore — to tire
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. lie — to recline
  9. bass — the fish
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. swing — to play on
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bore — to drill
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. swing — in golf
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bass — low 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