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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. lie — to recline
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. spring — the season
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. drill — the tool
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. spring — of water
  13. spring — a coil
  14. ball — a great time
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. ball — a dance
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. march — the month
  20. snap — to click
  21. perch — the fish
  22. drill — a practice
  23. drill — army training
  24. march — the month

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