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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bear — the animal
  3. swing — in golf
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. chest — a box
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bear — the animal
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. chest — of your body
  11. snap — to click
  12. last — final
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. last — to go on
  15. stock — goods
  16. sharp — clever
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. perch — the fish
  20. swing — to play on
  21. stock — shares
  22. swing — music
  23. last — finally
  24. perch — for a bird

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