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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 120 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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. ball — a dance
  4. march — music
  5. march — the month
  6. bulb — for light
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. rash — a series
  9. bulb — for light
  10. track — a path
  11. spring — the season
  12. perch — the fish
  13. spring — of water
  14. mug — a cup
  15. track — to keep track
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. spring — a coil
  18. mug — to rob
  19. rash — hasty
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. ball — a great time
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. march — the month
  24. mug — a face

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