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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. bear — the animal
  3. kid — to tease
  4. file — a tool
  5. swing — in golf
  6. kid — child
  7. suit — to fit
  8. file — a document
  9. scale — size or range
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. land — to come down
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. swing — to play on
  14. land — ground
  15. file — a line of people
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bear — the animal
  20. suit — in cards
  21. land — a country
  22. scale — in music
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. swing — music

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