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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. swing — music
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. field — a subject
  8. perch — the fish
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. rock — music
  12. rock — a stone
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. field — farmland
  18. snap — to click
  19. field — for sport
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. lie — to recline
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. swing — to play on
  24. stand — to bear

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