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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. mate — to breed
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. mate — a friend
  6. pitch — completely
  7. swing — in golf
  8. perch — the fish
  9. rash — hasty
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. tube — the underground
  14. swing — music
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. wound — an injury
  18. mate — a partner
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. rash — a series
  22. wound — an injury
  23. swing — to play on
  24. tube — a container

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