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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. snap — to click
  3. key — the most important part
  4. bear — the animal
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. court — of a king
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. march — music
  12. march — the month
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bear — the animal
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. perch — the fish
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. key — for a lock
  19. court — of law
  20. season — of the year
  21. season — in sport
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. court — for sport
  24. key — in music

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