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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. swing — in golf
  3. rash — hasty
  4. clip — a video
  5. rash — a series
  6. club — for dancing
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. swing — to play on
  9. roll — a list
  10. mug — a face
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. clip — to cut
  16. club — a group
  17. roll — a cake
  18. swing — music
  19. mug — a cup
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. club — for golf
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. clip — for paper
  24. perch — the fish

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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