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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. fine — high quality
  3. mate — to breed
  4. march — music
  5. rush — hurry
  6. perch — the fish
  7. fine — all right
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. drill — army training
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. stand — to bear
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. march — the month
  16. saw — the tool
  17. drill — the tool
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. mate — a friend
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. mate — a partner
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. drill — a practice
  24. saw — the tool

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