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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. roll — a cake
  3. perch — the fish
  4. key — in music
  5. march — the month
  6. file — a tool
  7. key — for a lock
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. wake — a trail
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. staff — employees
  12. can — a tin
  13. staff — employees
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. staff — a stick
  16. can — to be able to
  17. march — the month
  18. can — a tin
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. file — a document
  21. file — a line of people
  22. key — the most important part
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. roll — a list

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