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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  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. swing — music
  2. wake — a trail
  3. file — a document
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. file — a tool
  6. file — a line of people
  7. swing — in golf
  8. perch — the fish
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. swing — to play on
  13. capital — money
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. capital — a city
  20. bear — the animal
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. bear — the animal
  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