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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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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: perch · mug · stand · row · kid · march · ball · rule

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  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 — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. mug — a cup
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. ball — a great time
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. mug — a face
  7. row — a line
  8. stand — to bear
  9. march — the month
  10. kid — child
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. march — the month
  13. ball — a dance
  14. perch — the fish
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. row — to paddle
  18. rule — government
  19. kid — to tease
  20. mug — to rob
  21. march — music
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. perch — for a bird
  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