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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. march — the month
  3. game — a match
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. rash — hasty
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — a tin
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. court — for sport
  14. court — of a king
  15. rash — a series
  16. march — music
  17. bore — to drill
  18. perch — the fish
  19. bore — to tire
  20. game — wild animals
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. march — the month
  24. court — of law

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