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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 were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. rock — a stone
  3. content — happy
  4. last — final
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. rock — music
  8. last — finally
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. court — for sport
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. swing — in golf
  14. board — a committee
  15. swing — music
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. content — the amount
  19. board — to get on
  20. court — of law
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. last — to go on
  23. court — of a king
  24. perch — the fish

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