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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. perch — the fish
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. swing — music
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. ball — a dance
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. current — electric
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. swing — to play on
  13. current — of water
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. shower — rain
  16. shower — to wash
  17. current — happening now
  18. wake — a trail
  19. ball — a great time
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. straw — a straw man

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