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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. perch — the fish
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. board — a committee
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. drill — army training
  8. ground — a position
  9. ground — the earth
  10. tear — to rip
  11. board — to get on
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. march — music
  14. drill — the tool
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. drill — a practice
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. ground — crushed
  19. tear — from crying
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. pitch — completely
  22. tear — from crying
  23. march — the month
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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