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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. swing — to play on
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. swing — music
  8. club — for dancing
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. perch — the fish
  12. scale — in music
  13. club — for golf
  14. face — to confront
  15. scale — size or range
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. swing — in golf
  18. face — part of the head
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. club — a group
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. arm — a part of something

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