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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. march — the month
  3. march — music
  4. firm — steady
  5. mate — to breed
  6. perch — the fish
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. sharp — clever
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. track — a path
  11. mine — for digging
  12. kid — to tease
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. firm — a company
  16. mate — a friend
  17. track — a song
  18. kid — child
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. track — to keep track
  21. mate — a partner
  22. march — the month
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. firm — decided

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