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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. mine — for digging
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. pitch — completely
  5. swing — to play on
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. shower — to wash
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. swing — in golf
  13. bulb — for light
  14. lie — to recline
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bulb — for light
  21. shower — rain
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. perch — the fish
  24. swing — 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