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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 120 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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. march — the month
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. press — newspapers
  5. march — the month
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. game — a match
  8. press — to push
  9. game — wild animals
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. sharp — clever
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. root — of a plant
  15. press — a publisher
  16. root — of a word
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. root — the cause
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. perch — the fish
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. plane — a tool
  24. plane — an aircraft

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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