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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. rest — what's left
  4. season — in sport
  5. fall — the season
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. fall — to drop
  8. key — the most important part
  9. mine — for digging
  10. hand — help
  11. march — music
  12. rest — what's left
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. key — in music
  17. fall — to drop
  18. rest — a break
  19. hand — in cards
  20. perch — the fish
  21. key — for a lock
  22. season — of the year
  23. march — the month
  24. march — the month

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