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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. net — in sport
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. foot — a measure
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. staff — employees
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. net — after costs
  9. bear — the animal
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. staff — a stick
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. perch — the fish
  14. sharp — clever
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. staff — employees
  17. march — the month
  18. bear — the animal
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. march — the month
  23. net — for catching
  24. wake — a trail

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