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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. march — the month
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. wound — an injury
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. root — the cause
  9. wound — an injury
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. perch — the fish
  12. current — happening now
  13. march — music
  14. current — of water
  15. root — of a word
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. deal — to handle
  20. march — the month
  21. root — of a plant
  22. current — electric
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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