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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 coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. race — a contest
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. race — humankind
  7. club — for dancing
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. spell — magic
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. band — a ring
  13. club — a group
  14. band — a music group
  15. mine — for digging
  16. spell — a short time
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. perch — the fish
  19. race — the arms race
  20. club — for golf
  21. spell — letters
  22. swing — music
  23. swing — to play on
  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