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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. swing — to play on
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. foot — a measure
  11. wound — an injury
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. saw — the tool
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. wound — an injury
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. swing — music
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. swing — in golf

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