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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 116 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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. swing — music
  3. club — for dancing
  4. court — for sport
  5. swing — in golf
  6. perch — the fish
  7. degree — temperature
  8. bulb — for light
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bulb — for light
  12. court — of law
  13. club — a group
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. wound — an injury
  16. degree — an amount
  17. stand — to bear
  18. degree — from a university
  19. court — of a king
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. club — for golf
  22. swing — to play on
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bulb — of a plant

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