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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 116 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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — employees
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. present — the time now
  7. present — there
  8. march — the month
  9. pass — a permit
  10. perch — the fish
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. march — music
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. lean — to bend
  15. lean — thin
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. staff — a stick
  18. march — the month
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. cold — not warm
  21. pound — a weight
  22. present — a gift
  23. cold — an illness
  24. lean — to rest against

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