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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 120 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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. mine — for digging
  3. spell — a short time
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. rash — a series
  6. rash — hasty
  7. spell — magic
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. present — the time now
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. march — the month
  12. perch — the fish
  13. rock — a stone
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. rock — music
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. present — there
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. present — a gift
  22. spell — letters
  23. march — music
  24. rash — on the skin

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