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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. suit — in cards
  3. band — a ring
  4. ball — a dance
  5. kid — to tease
  6. staff — a stick
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. mark — a grade
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. suit — clothes
  11. band — a music group
  12. swing — in golf
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. mark — a trace
  17. perch — the fish
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. staff — employees
  20. suit — to fit
  21. staff — employees
  22. ball — a great time
  23. swing — music
  24. kid — child

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