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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. snap — to click
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. swing — in golf
  6. swing — music
  7. tear — to rip
  8. mug — a cup
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. mug — to rob
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. mug — a face
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. current — electric
  16. tear — from crying
  17. perch — the fish
  18. current — happening now
  19. tear — from crying
  20. ball — a dance
  21. swing — to play on
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. ball — a great time
  24. current — of water

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