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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. saw — the tool
  3. club — for dancing
  4. march — the month
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. current — of water
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. game — a match
  9. hand — help
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. club — a group
  12. perch — the fish
  13. current — electric
  14. club — for golf
  15. hand — in cards
  16. bass — the fish
  17. current — happening now
  18. march — music
  19. game — wild animals
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bass — low music
  24. bass — the instrument

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