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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. net — in sport
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. bound — certain
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. perch — the fish
  7. bound — obliged
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. bound — tied together
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. march — the month
  13. root — the cause
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. root — of a plant
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. march — music
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. root — of a word
  20. mark — a trace
  21. net — for catching
  22. mark — a grade
  23. net — after costs
  24. nail — on a finger

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