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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. saw — the tool
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. race — humankind
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bulb — for light
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. perch — the fish
  11. last — final
  12. race — the arms race
  13. bulb — for light
  14. swing — to play on
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. last — to go on
  17. rule — a law
  18. race — a contest
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. last — finally
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. rule — government
  24. swing — in golf

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