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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  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. rash — hasty
  2. swing — to play on
  3. face — to confront
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. field — for sport
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. foot — a measure
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. field — a subject
  10. field — farmland
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. rash — a series
  13. bulb — for light
  14. suit — to fit
  15. suit — in cards
  16. bulb — for light
  17. face — part of the head
  18. perch — the fish
  19. face — to point toward
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. suit — clothes
  22. swing — in golf
  23. rash — on the skin
  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