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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 116 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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. cold — an illness
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. wake — a trail
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. march — the month
  10. fine — high quality
  11. perch — the fish
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. board — a committee
  16. net — in sport
  17. cold — not warm
  18. net — after costs
  19. board — to get on
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. net — for catching
  22. march — music
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. fine — all right

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