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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. staff — employees
  3. squash — to crush
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. march — the month
  6. drill — a practice
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. rest — what's left
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. staff — employees
  12. rest — what's left
  13. drill — army training
  14. squash — the sport
  15. perch — the fish
  16. court — of a king
  17. wind — moving air
  18. drill — the tool
  19. wind — moving air
  20. rest — a break
  21. staff — a stick
  22. march — the month
  23. court — of law
  24. court — for sport

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