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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. current — electric
  3. pop — to visit
  4. march — the month
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. pop — music
  7. content — happy
  8. current — happening now
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. current — of water
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. content — the amount
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. march — the month
  15. march — music
  16. perch — the fish
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. pop — soda
  22. rash — a series
  23. rash — hasty
  24. perch — for a bird

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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