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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. land — to come down
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. cue — a signal
  6. land — ground
  7. cue — a hint
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. swing — to play on
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. perch — the fish
  17. sharp — clever
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. cue — for pool
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. swing — music
  23. land — a country
  24. coach — a trainer

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