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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. swing — music
  3. march — music
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. perch — the fish
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. rest — what's left
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. net — after costs
  10. swing — to play on
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. rest — a break
  14. net — for catching
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. swing — in golf
  17. rest — what's left
  18. row — a line
  19. march — the month
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. net — in sport
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. row — to paddle
  24. march — the month

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