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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. march — the month
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — the fish
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. march — music
  8. chair — a leader
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. rule — government
  11. cap — of ice
  12. cap — a hat
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. march — the month
  15. cap — a lid
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rash — a series
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. rash — hasty
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. dip — to sink

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