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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 were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. band — a ring
  3. file — a document
  4. firm — decided
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. firm — steady
  7. file — a line of people
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. file — a tool
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. perch — the fish
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. firm — a company
  15. march — the month
  16. march — the month
  17. kick — in football
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. march — music
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. rock — music
  23. band — a music group
  24. perch — for a bird

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