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

Word bank: shower · deal · leaves · pop · perch · swing · rule · kick

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. pop — to visit
  5. pop — soda
  6. perch — the fish
  7. kick — in football
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. rule — government
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. pop — music
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. shower — to wash
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. deal — to handle
  18. shower — rain
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. swing — to play on
  21. swing — in golf
  22. rule — a law
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. perch — for a bird

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