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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. bound — obliged
  3. row — to paddle
  4. track — to keep track
  5. track — a song
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — the fish
  9. rash — a series
  10. row — a line
  11. mark — a trace
  12. board — to get on
  13. rash — hasty
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. track — a path
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. march — the month
  18. march — the month
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. board — a committee
  21. march — music
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bound — certain
  24. board — a flat piece

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