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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. last — finally
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. perch — the fish
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. prune — to trim
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. key — in music
  12. march — music
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. key — the most important part
  15. march — the month
  16. prune — to trim
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. march — the month
  22. last — to go on
  23. key — for a lock
  24. last — final

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