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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 120 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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. swing — in golf
  5. perch — the fish
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. game — wild animals
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. swing — to play on
  11. face — to confront
  12. game — a match
  13. degree — temperature
  14. face — to point toward
  15. face — part of the head
  16. net — after costs
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. net — for catching
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. swing — music
  22. degree — from a university
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. degree — an amount

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