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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: perch · season · ground · mug · pit · club · swing · tube

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. season — in sport
  3. ground — crushed
  4. tube — a container
  5. ground — the earth
  6. club — for golf
  7. pit — a hole
  8. tube — the underground
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. mug — to rob
  12. mug — a cup
  13. swing — in golf
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. season — of the year
  16. mug — a face
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. swing — to play on
  19. club — a group
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. swing — music
  22. club — for dancing
  23. pit — in a race
  24. perch — 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