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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 116 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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. swing — music
  3. bank — for money
  4. swing — to play on
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. wake — a trail
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. perch — the fish
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. bank — of a river
  16. file — a document
  17. hand — help
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. sharp — clever
  20. file — a tool
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bank — for money
  23. swing — in golf
  24. file — a line of people

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