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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. court — for sport
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. perch — the fish
  6. swing — in golf
  7. tube — a container
  8. fork — in a road
  9. chest — a box
  10. chest — of your body
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. court — of a king
  14. swing — music
  15. rush — hurry
  16. march — music
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. swing — to play on
  19. tube — the underground
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. court — of law
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. march — the month
  24. chest — of your body

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