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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.

Make a worksheet

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

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  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. perch — for a bird
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. march — music
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. scale — in music
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. perch — the fish
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. march — the month
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. tear — from crying
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. march — the month
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. tear — from crying
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. tear — to rip
  22. scale — size or range
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  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