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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: saw · kid · pop · lie · march · mate · ruler · perch

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pop — to visit
  3. mate — a friend
  4. march — music
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. lie — to recline
  11. march — the month
  12. kid — to tease
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. saw — the tool
  15. perch — the fish
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. saw — the tool
  18. pop — soda
  19. kid — child
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. march — the month
  22. mate — to breed
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. mate — a partner

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