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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. ball — a dance
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. march — the month
  6. file — a document
  7. date — the fruit
  8. present — the time now
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. ball — a great time
  12. can — a tin
  13. march — music
  14. present — there
  15. can — a tin
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. file — a line of people
  18. can — to be able to
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. march — the month
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. file — a tool
  23. present — a gift
  24. perch — the fish

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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