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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. chair — a leader
  3. swing — in golf
  4. file — a line of people
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. perch — the fish
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. file — a document
  10. swing — music
  11. net — in sport
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. net — for catching
  15. swing — to play on
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. file — a tool
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. net — after costs

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