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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  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. swing — in golf
  2. squash — the sport
  3. foot — a measure
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. file — a document
  6. race — a contest
  7. swing — to play on
  8. squash — to crush
  9. ground — a position
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. race — humankind
  13. ground — crushed
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. file — a line of people
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. ground — the earth
  18. wound — an injury
  19. perch — the fish
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. file — a tool
  23. race — the arms race
  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