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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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Word bank
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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: game · mouse · row · march · perch · jam · stick · chair

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. row — to paddle
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. march — the month
  5. game — wild animals
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. game — a match
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. march — music
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — the fish
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. march — the month
  22. chair — a leader
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. jam — in traffic

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