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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. perch — the fish
  3. march — the month
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. key — in music
  7. fall — to drop
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. fall — the season
  10. march — music
  11. capital — money
  12. key — the most important part
  13. cue — a hint
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. cue — for pool
  17. cue — a signal
  18. key — for a lock
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. fall — to drop
  21. mine — for digging
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. capital — a city
  24. march — the month

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