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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 120 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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. swing — music
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. capital — money
  7. snap — to click
  8. ball — a great time
  9. capital — a city
  10. can — a tin
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. can — to be able to
  14. ball — a dance
  15. can — a tin
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. perch — the fish
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. swing — in golf
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. swing — to play on

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