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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. charge — a price
  3. charge — electricity
  4. march — music
  5. wake — a trail
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. game — a match
  10. march — the month
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — what's left
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. game — wild animals
  16. face — part of the head
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. march — the month
  19. face — to confront
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. rest — a break
  22. face — to point toward
  23. charge — in control
  24. leaves — lets stay

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