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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 people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. mark — a trace
  3. last — finally
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. last — to go on
  6. last — final
  7. spring — a coil
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. spring — the season
  10. perch — the fish
  11. band — a music group
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. band — a ring
  14. staff — a stick
  15. mark — a grade
  16. staff — employees
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bear — the animal
  19. staff — employees
  20. bear — the animal
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. spring — of water
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. bear — to put up with

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