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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. bulb — for light
  5. capital — a city
  6. perch — the fish
  7. toast — bread
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bulb — for light
  13. capital — money
  14. kick — in football
  15. bound — certain
  16. swing — music
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. band — a music group
  19. bound — obliged
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. band — a ring
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. swing — in golf

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