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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. swing — music
  3. bass — low music
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. kick — in football
  9. swing — in golf
  10. swing — to play on
  11. drill — army training
  12. roll — a cake
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. perch — the fish
  17. bat — the animal
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. drill — a practice
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. drill — the tool
  23. bass — the fish
  24. roll — a list

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