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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 120 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 ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. last — finally
  3. last — final
  4. rash — a series
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. lean — thin
  9. rash — hasty
  10. tube — a container
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. march — the month
  14. perch — the fish
  15. last — to go on
  16. mug — a face
  17. scale — size or range
  18. mug — a cup
  19. march — the month
  20. lean — to bend
  21. tube — the underground
  22. mug — to rob
  23. march — music
  24. scale — in 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