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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.

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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: chip · perch · straw · bulb · club · court · swing · sharp

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. club — for golf
  3. swing — music
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. bulb — for light
  6. sharp — clever
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. swing — in golf
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. chip — to eat
  11. chip — for betting
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. club — for dancing
  16. perch — the fish
  17. club — a group
  18. bulb — for light
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. court — of a king
  21. court — of law
  22. swing — to play on
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bulb — of a plant

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