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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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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: pop · sharp · land · march · swing · perch · bear · chip

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  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. march — the month
  2. bear — the animal
  3. march — the month
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. pop — soda
  7. pop — to visit
  8. swing — music
  9. land — ground
  10. march — music
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. land — a country
  13. bear — the animal
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. pop — music
  16. sharp — clever
  17. swing — to play on
  18. perch — the fish
  19. chip — for betting
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. chip — to eat
  23. land — to come down
  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