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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. mate — a partner
  4. bank — for money
  5. drill — the tool
  6. bank — for money
  7. mark — a trace
  8. swing — in golf
  9. perch — the fish
  10. swing — to play on
  11. mate — a friend
  12. drill — army training
  13. mate — to breed
  14. pass — a permit
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. wound — an injury
  19. drill — a practice
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. mark — a grade
  22. bank — of a river
  23. swing — music
  24. pass — to spend time

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