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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. fall — to drop
  4. pitch — completely
  5. march — the month
  6. present — a gift
  7. march — music
  8. mug — to rob
  9. mate — a friend
  10. march — the month
  11. mate — to breed
  12. mug — a face
  13. perch — the fish
  14. fall — to drop
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. present — the time now
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. row — a line
  20. row — to paddle
  21. mate — a partner
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. mug — a cup
  24. fall — the season

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