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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. saw — the tool
  3. swing — music
  4. season — of the year
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. club — for golf
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — the season
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. season — in sport
  11. swing — to play on
  12. club — a group
  13. ground — crushed
  14. fall — to drop
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. ground — the earth
  17. swing — in golf
  18. dip — to sink
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. club — for dancing
  21. perch — the fish
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. saw — the tool

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