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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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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: staff · game · perch · fan · capital · net · key · swing

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. key — in music
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. staff — employees
  9. perch — the fish
  10. net — in sport
  11. capital — money
  12. game — wild animals
  13. staff — employees
  14. net — for catching
  15. staff — a stick
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. key — the most important part
  18. game — a match
  19. net — after costs
  20. key — for a lock
  21. capital — a city
  22. swing — music
  23. swing — to play on
  24. perch — for a bird

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