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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. pop — to visit
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. rash — a series
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. capital — money
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. capital — a city
  12. pop — soda
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. perch — the fish
  15. rash — hasty
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. pop — music
  19. mark — a trace
  20. spring — a coil
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. spring — of water
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. mark — a grade

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