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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  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 — to play on
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. scale — in music
  4. mark — a trace
  5. rock — music
  6. swing — music
  7. wind — moving air
  8. ball — a great time
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. wind — moving air
  15. scale — size or range
  16. ball — a dance
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. swing — in golf
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. rock — a stone
  23. mark — a grade
  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