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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. spell — a short time
  3. bass — the fish
  4. pitch — completely
  5. bass — low music
  6. spring — a coil
  7. spring — of water
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. swing — in golf
  10. swing — music
  11. swing — to play on
  12. can — a tin
  13. spring — the season
  14. spell — letters
  15. can — a tin
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. can — to be able to
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. roll — a list
  20. perch — the fish
  21. roll — a cake
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. spell — magic
  24. roll — on a roll

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