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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. mark — a grade
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. rush — hurry
  6. mark — a trace
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bound — tied together
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. board — to get on
  13. march — music
  14. bound — certain
  15. march — the month
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. board — a committee
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. hand — in cards
  20. march — the month
  21. perch — the fish
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. trunk — of a car

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