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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — the fish
  3. pitch — completely
  4. pop — to visit
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. rock — music
  7. bass — low music
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pop — soda
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. swing — in golf
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. rock — a stone
  21. swing — music
  22. pop — music
  23. swing — to play on
  24. bass — the fish

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