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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. hand — in cards
  3. march — music
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. game — a match
  7. game — wild animals
  8. march — the month
  9. last — to go on
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. last — final
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. march — the month
  16. last — finally
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. hand — help
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. mark — a trace
  21. ball — a dance
  22. perch — the fish
  23. ball — a great time
  24. ball — a round shape

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