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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: mouse · rock · swing · foot · lie · bat · perch · band

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. rock — music
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. bat — the animal
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. band — a ring
  9. lie — to recline
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. swing — to play on
  13. foot — a measure
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. band — a music group
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. perch — the fish
  18. swing — in golf
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. rock — a stone

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