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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. game — wild animals
  3. current — electric
  4. perch — the fish
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. current — of water
  7. saw — the tool
  8. current — happening now
  9. game — a match
  10. object — to protest
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. march — the month
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. saw — the tool
  18. march — the month
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. object — a thing
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. object — an aim

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