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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. chest — of your body
  3. season — of the year
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bass — the fish
  6. perch — the fish
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bass — low music
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. chest — of your body
  12. swing — in golf
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. season — in sport
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. swing — music
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. wake — a trail
  19. chest — a box
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. swing — to play on
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bound — certain

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