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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. mate — a partner
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. march — music
  6. march — the month
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. court — for sport
  9. rash — a series
  10. ground — the earth
  11. march — the month
  12. court — of law
  13. court — of a king
  14. ground — a position
  15. perch — the fish
  16. ground — crushed
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. mate — a friend
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. lean — to bend
  22. lean — thin
  23. mate — to breed
  24. deal — to handle

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