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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. sharp — clever
  3. stem — to come from
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. perch — the fish
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. march — the month
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. mine — for digging
  16. march — music
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. ball — a great time
  19. stand — to bear
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. ball — a dance
  24. stand — on your feet

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