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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 120 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: perch · ruler · bowl · scale · pit · kid · march · rule

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. pit — a hole
  3. march — the month
  4. pit — in a race
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. rule — government
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. scale — size or range
  11. march — music
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. scale — in music
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. perch — the fish
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. march — the month
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. kid — to tease
  24. rule — a law

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