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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.

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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: ground · swing · arm · mark · tear · perch · chair · bowl

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. swing — music
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mark — a trace
  5. ground — crushed
  6. swing — in golf
  7. tear — from crying
  8. swing — to play on
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. chair — a leader
  11. perch — the fish
  12. tear — to rip
  13. ground — the earth
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. ground — a position
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. mark — a grade
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. bowl — to roll

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