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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: last · mouse · perch · capital · club · bowl · swing · squash

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. swing — to play on
  3. perch — the fish
  4. capital — a city
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. last — to go on
  8. squash — to crush
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. capital — money
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. club — for dancing
  16. club — for golf
  17. last — finally
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. club — a group
  20. squash — the sport
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. swing — music
  23. last — final
  24. mouse — the animal

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