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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 120 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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. ball — a dance
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. lie — to recline
  6. present — the time now
  7. march — the month
  8. march — the month
  9. ball — a great time
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. march — music
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. object — to protest
  17. perch — the fish
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. object — an aim
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. object — a thing
  24. present — a gift

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