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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. court — of law
  3. march — the month
  4. bore — to tire
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. march — music
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. perch — the fish
  11. bore — to drill
  12. scale — in music
  13. dip — to sink
  14. scale — size or range
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. court — for sport
  19. wax — to grow
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. march — the month
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. court — of a king

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