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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. land — ground
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. perch — the fish
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. fine — high quality
  8. swing — music
  9. land — to come down
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. swing — in golf
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. land — a country
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. game — a match
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. swing — to play on
  21. fine — all right
  22. sharp — clever
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. arm — part of the body

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