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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. pop — soda
  6. pop — to visit
  7. mug — a cup
  8. march — music
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. mug — to rob
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. wind — moving air
  15. track — a path
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. perch — the fish
  18. march — the month
  19. track — a song
  20. track — to keep track
  21. mug — a face
  22. march — the month
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. pop — 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