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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. swing — to play on
  3. hand — in cards
  4. perch — the fish
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. bound — tied together
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. fine — all right
  11. mug — a cup
  12. stem — to come from
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bound — certain
  15. swing — music
  16. hand — help
  17. swing — in golf
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. mug — a face
  21. bound — obliged
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. mug — to rob
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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