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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: foot · spell · scale · perch · wind · fine · march · rock

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. spell — a short time
  4. wind — moving air
  5. march — the month
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. spell — magic
  10. scale — in music
  11. march — the month
  12. rock — a stone
  13. foot — a measure
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. wind — moving air
  16. scale — size or range
  17. march — music
  18. fine — high quality
  19. perch — the fish
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. fine — all right
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. rock — music
  24. perch — for a bird

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