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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. staff — employees
  4. degree — an amount
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bulb — for light
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. bulb — for light
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. swing — to play on
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. wound — an injury
  14. swing — in golf
  15. degree — from a university
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. staff — a stick
  19. perch — the fish
  20. staff — employees
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. degree — temperature

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