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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 124 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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. rest — what's left
  3. spell — magic
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. march — music
  7. ground — the earth
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. ground — a position
  10. march — the month
  11. perch — the fish
  12. cold — not warm
  13. spell — letters
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. cold — an illness
  18. rest — what's left
  19. stand — to bear
  20. dip — to sink
  21. march — the month
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. spell — a short time
  24. ground — crushed

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