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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. swing — in golf
  5. key — for a lock
  6. lean — thin
  7. swing — to play on
  8. net — in sport
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. net — after costs
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. snap — to click
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. net — for catching
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. lean — to bend
  19. perch — the fish
  20. key — the most important part
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. swing — music
  23. key — in music
  24. chair — a leader

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