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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — the fish
  9. mine — for digging
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. swing — music
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. stand — to bear
  14. ball — a great time
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. swing — to play on
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. ball — a dance
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. swing — in golf
  24. stand — for spectators

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