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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. suit — in cards
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. hand — help
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. hand — in cards
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. rush — hurry
  13. suit — to fit
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. march — the month
  18. march — music
  19. suit — clothes
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. perch — the fish
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — for a bird

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