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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 120 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: lean · ground · suit · perch · content · ball · swing · straw

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. ground — a position
  6. ground — the earth
  7. suit — in cards
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. ball — a great time
  10. perch — the fish
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. suit — to fit
  13. content — happy
  14. lean — thin
  15. swing — to play on
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. swing — in golf
  19. ball — a dance
  20. content — the amount
  21. swing — music
  22. suit — clothes
  23. content — videos and posts
  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