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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. rock — music
  3. tube — the underground
  4. spell — letters
  5. present — the time now
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. bound — certain
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. rest — a break
  11. present — a gift
  12. rest — what's left
  13. mark — a grade
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. mark — a trace
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rock — a stone
  18. bound — tied together
  19. tube — a container
  20. bound — obliged
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. spell — magic
  23. spell — a short time
  24. present — there

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