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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: lie · spell · march · cell · toast · fine · perch · game

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — music
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. game — wild animals
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. cell — in biology
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. march — the month
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. toast — bread
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. game — a match
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. spell — magic
  18. spell — letters
  19. perch — the fish
  20. spell — a short time
  21. cell — a phone
  22. fine — high quality
  23. fine — all right
  24. lie — to recline

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