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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. land — to come down
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. sharp — clever
  7. prune — to trim
  8. chair — a leader
  9. perch — the fish
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. march — the month
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. land — ground
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. march — music
  19. march — the month
  20. mark — a grade
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. land — a country
  24. prune — to trim

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