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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rash — hasty
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. fine — all right
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. suit — to fit
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. suit — in cards
  10. perch — the fish
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. club — for dancing
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bat — the animal
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. club — for golf
  17. march — the month
  18. club — a group
  19. rash — a series
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. march — the month
  22. fine — high quality
  23. march — music
  24. suit — clothes

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