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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. land — ground
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. swing — in golf
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. club — for dancing
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. swing — to play on
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. wind — moving air
  13. land — to come down
  14. swing — music
  15. land — a country
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. wind — moving air
  18. board — a committee
  19. perch — the fish
  20. board — to get on
  21. club — for golf
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. club — a group

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