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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. tube — the underground
  3. pop — soda
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. tube — a container
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. spell — magic
  10. perch — the fish
  11. pit — in a race
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. spell — a short time
  15. march — music
  16. spell — letters
  17. march — the month
  18. march — the month
  19. pop — to visit
  20. rest — a break
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — what's left
  23. pop — music
  24. pit — a hole

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