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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: chair · swing · deal · tear · racket · date · bulb · perch

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. perch — the fish
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. tear — to rip
  7. deal — to handle
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. swing — in golf
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. chair — a leader
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — for light
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. swing — to play on
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. swing — music
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. date — the fruit
  23. tear — from crying
  24. chair — a professorship

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