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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  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. swing — music
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. swing — to play on
  6. present — a gift
  7. sharp — clever
  8. present — the time now
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. wound — an injury
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. wound — an injury
  14. swing — in golf
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. cap — a hat
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. wake — a trail
  20. cap — a lid
  21. present — there
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. cap — of ice
  24. perch — the fish

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