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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. perch — the fish
  3. scale — size or range
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. scale — in music
  6. bass — low music
  7. march — the month
  8. snap — to click
  9. suit — clothes
  10. suit — to fit
  11. rash — a series
  12. pop — music
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. march — the month
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. suit — in cards
  18. march — music
  19. pop — to visit
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bass — the fish
  23. pop — soda
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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