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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. perch — the fish
  3. rest — what's left
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. kick — in football
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. mark — a trace
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. bass — low music
  13. march — the month
  14. shower — rain
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. march — the month
  17. mark — a grade
  18. rule — a law
  19. march — music
  20. rest — a break
  21. shower — to wash
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. rule — government
  24. rest — what's left

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