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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. fall — to drop
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. fall — to drop
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. swing — to play on
  9. wound — an injury
  10. rash — a series
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. swing — music
  13. wound — an injury
  14. fall — the season
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. chip — to eat
  17. swing — in golf
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. chip — for betting
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. bear — the animal
  22. rash — hasty
  23. perch — the fish
  24. coach — a trainer

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