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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. march — the month
  4. spring — the season
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. march — the month
  7. mark — a trace
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. scale — in music
  10. spring — a coil
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. spring — of water
  14. fine — all right
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. march — music
  17. mark — a grade
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. perch — the fish
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. scale — size or range
  24. fine — high quality

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