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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. clip — to cut
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. mark — a grade
  8. rest — what's left
  9. march — music
  10. mark — a trace
  11. rest — what's left
  12. wound — an injury
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. ball — a dance
  15. ball — a great time
  16. clip — a video
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. perch — the fish
  21. rest — a break
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. march — the month
  24. clip — for paper

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