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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. pop — to visit
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. root — of a word
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. pop — soda
  8. march — the month
  9. march — the month
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. root — of a plant
  12. march — music
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. mark — a grade
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. scale — size or range
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. mark — a trace
  19. perch — the fish
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. root — the cause
  23. pop — music
  24. scale — in music

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