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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. scale — in music
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. scale — size or range
  6. march — the month
  7. swing — to play on
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. board — a committee
  11. swing — in golf
  12. swing — music
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. sharp — clever
  15. ground — crushed
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. board — to get on
  19. ground — the earth
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. march — music
  22. perch — the fish
  23. lash — an eyelash
  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