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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 120 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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. ground — the earth
  4. rush — hurry
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. swing — music
  8. pass — a permit
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. swing — to play on
  11. kick — in football
  12. ground — a position
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. ground — crushed
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — the fish
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. swing — in golf
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — of your body
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. chest — a box
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. pass — to spend time

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