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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. perch — the fish
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. can — a tin
  6. march — the month
  7. spring — a coil
  8. shower — to wash
  9. present — the time now
  10. club — a group
  11. can — to be able to
  12. stand — to bear
  13. spring — of water
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. march — the month
  17. club — for dancing
  18. march — music
  19. spring — the season
  20. shower — rain
  21. can — a tin
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. present — a gift
  24. present — there

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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