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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 116 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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. mark — a trace
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. drill — army training
  5. drill — a practice
  6. land — a country
  7. mark — a grade
  8. land — ground
  9. drill — the tool
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. ball — a dance
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. march — the month
  14. land — to come down
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. stand — to bear
  18. march — music
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. mine — for digging
  21. ball — a great time
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. march — the month
  24. mine — belonging to me

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