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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. suit — clothes
  3. suit — to fit
  4. fall — the season
  5. club — a group
  6. last — final
  7. perch — the fish
  8. deal — to handle
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. row — a line
  11. club — for golf
  12. fall — to drop
  13. last — finally
  14. club — for dancing
  15. fall — to drop
  16. row — to paddle
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. last — to go on
  19. march — the month
  20. march — music
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. march — the month
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. suit — in cards

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