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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. ground — the earth
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. present — a gift
  5. ground — crushed
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. current — of water
  8. fine — high quality
  9. swing — music
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. land — ground
  12. current — electric
  13. fine — all right
  14. land — a country
  15. current — happening now
  16. mine — for digging
  17. swing — to play on
  18. perch — the fish
  19. land — to come down
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. present — the time now
  22. ground — a position
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. present — there

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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