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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. lean — thin
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. perch — the fish
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. lean — to bend
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. pitch — completely
  10. key — for a lock
  11. key — in music
  12. club — a group
  13. chest — of your body
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. swing — music
  17. club — for golf
  18. key — the most important part
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. chest — a box
  22. swing — in golf
  23. chest — of your body
  24. swing — to play on

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