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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. perch — the fish
  3. suit — to fit
  4. root — the cause
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. suit — in cards
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. suit — clothes
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. march — the month
  12. march — the month
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. fall — to drop
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. wound — an injury
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. root — of a plant
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — the season
  24. root — of a word

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