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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 116 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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. tear — from crying
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. current — of water
  5. mine — for digging
  6. perch — the fish
  7. current — electric
  8. scale — size or range
  9. scale — in music
  10. current — happening now
  11. march — music
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. march — the month
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — to rip
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. kick — in football
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. safe — out of danger

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