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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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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: perch · wound · key · bowl · swing · fine · bass · cell

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. bass — the fish
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. fine — all right
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. swing — in golf
  7. swing — to play on
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. cell — a phone
  10. wound — an injury
  11. key — the most important part
  12. bass — low music
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. swing — music
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. cell — in biology
  20. key — in music
  21. key — for a lock
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. fine — high quality
  24. cell — in a prison

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