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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. rock — music
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. shower — rain
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. march — the month
  7. tear — from crying
  8. rock — a stone
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. march — music
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. tear — to rip
  14. march — the month
  15. tear — from crying
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. staff — employees
  18. shower — to wash
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — a stick
  22. rule — a law
  23. rule — government
  24. bowl — a dish

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