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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. perch — the fish
  5. shower — to wash
  6. ground — crushed
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. object — to protest
  9. spring — the season
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. ground — the earth
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. shower — rain
  15. spring — of water
  16. march — the month
  17. spring — a coil
  18. ground — a position
  19. object — a thing
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. march — the month
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. stand — to bear
  24. object — an aim

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