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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. ground — crushed
  5. march — the month
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. land — ground
  9. land — a country
  10. land — to come down
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. sharp — clever
  13. march — the month
  14. perch — the fish
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rash — hasty
  18. fine — high quality
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. fine — all right
  21. ground — the earth
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. rash — a series
  24. ground — a position

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