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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 120 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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. swing — in golf
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. tear — from crying
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. swing — music
  12. tear — to rip
  13. plane — a tool
  14. swing — to play on
  15. perch — the fish
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. lean — thin
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. tear — from crying
  23. stand — to bear
  24. lean — to bend

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