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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. pop — music
  3. object — an aim
  4. perch — the fish
  5. object — to protest
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. track — a path
  8. present — a gift
  9. march — the month
  10. object — a thing
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. track — a song
  13. clip — for paper
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. march — the month
  16. clip — a video
  17. march — music
  18. pop — to visit
  19. present — there
  20. pop — soda
  21. clip — to cut
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. track — to keep track
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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