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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. scale — in music
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. season — of the year
  8. scale — size or range
  9. sharp — clever
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. saw — the tool
  15. perch — the fish
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. present — there
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. march — the month
  20. saw — the tool
  21. march — the month
  22. season — in sport
  23. present — a gift
  24. present — the time now

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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