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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. swing — to play on
  4. swing — in golf
  5. key — the most important part
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — the fish
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. chair — a leader
  12. club — for dancing
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. swing — music
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. club — for golf
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. key — for a lock
  20. club — a group
  21. key — in music
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. lie — to recline
  24. lie — an untruth

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