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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. club — a group
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. march — the month
  6. march — the month
  7. club — for golf
  8. march — music
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. game — wild animals
  11. pop — to visit
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. pop — soda
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. club — for dancing
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. wake — a trail
  20. perch — the fish
  21. pop — music
  22. pitch — completely
  23. game — a match
  24. fork — in a road

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