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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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  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. wave — of the sea
  2. pop — music
  3. perch — the fish
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. march — the month
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. pop — to visit
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. pop — soda
  13. march — music
  14. march — the month
  15. cell — a phone
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. cell — in biology
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. foot — a measure
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. snap — to click
  23. leaves — of a tree
  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