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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. spell — magic
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. pass — a permit
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. march — music
  8. key — the most important part
  9. key — for a lock
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. spell — letters
  12. ball — a dance
  13. ball — a great time
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. perch — the fish
  16. key — in music
  17. spell — a short time
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — to trim
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. march — the month
  24. wake — a trail

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