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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. scale — in music
  3. march — music
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. craft — a skill
  7. swing — in golf
  8. can — a tin
  9. perch — the fish
  10. swing — to play on
  11. scale — size or range
  12. craft — boats
  13. saw — the tool
  14. can — a tin
  15. march — the month
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. saw — the tool
  18. march — the month
  19. shower — to wash
  20. swing — music
  21. can — to be able to
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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