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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. rash — a series
  3. season — in sport
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. march — the month
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. march — the month
  14. perch — the fish
  15. rush — hurry
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. wound — an injury
  19. rash — hasty
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. march — music
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. season — of the year

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