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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. swing — to play on
  3. rest — what's left
  4. craft — boats
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. rest — a break
  7. mark — a trace
  8. mark — a grade
  9. craft — a skill
  10. march — the month
  11. swing — music
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. perch — the fish
  16. swing — in golf
  17. kid — to tease
  18. kid — child
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. rest — what's left
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. march — the month
  23. march — music
  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