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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. root — the cause
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. march — music
  5. perch — the fish
  6. wind — moving air
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. root — of a plant
  9. row — a line
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. march — the month
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. fine — high quality
  14. march — the month
  15. fine — all right
  16. scale — size or range
  17. wind — moving air
  18. scale — in music
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. row — to paddle
  21. dip — to sink
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. root — of a word

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