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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. spring — the season
  3. march — music
  4. spring — a coil
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. perch — the fish
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. march — the month
  12. dip — to sink
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. mug — to rob
  16. mine — for digging
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. mug — a face
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. mug — a cup
  22. spring — of water
  23. racket — for tennis
  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