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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 116 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 will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. board — to get on
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. march — the month
  5. march — music
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. last — to go on
  8. key — the most important part
  9. wind — moving air
  10. key — for a lock
  11. wind — moving air
  12. key — in music
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. last — final
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. snap — to click
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. board — a committee
  23. perch — the fish
  24. last — finally

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