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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. swing — to play on
  5. march — music
  6. perch — the fish
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. march — the month
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. fork — in a road
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. swing — music
  19. sharp — clever
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. march — the month
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. swing — in golf

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