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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. charge — in control
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cue — a signal
  5. kid — to tease
  6. row — to paddle
  7. swing — to play on
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. charge — a price
  10. perch — the fish
  11. swing — music
  12. mug — to rob
  13. mug — a cup
  14. kid — child
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. cue — a hint
  17. swing — in golf
  18. row — a line
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. cue — for pool
  21. charge — electricity
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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