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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 116 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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  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. swing — to play on
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. net — for catching
  4. cold — an illness
  5. net — in sport
  6. swing — in golf
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. net — after costs
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. swing — music
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. perch — the fish
  14. fork — in a road
  15. sharp — clever
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. lie — to recline
  18. deal — to handle
  19. cold — not warm
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. perch — for a bird
  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