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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.

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: leaves · rash · perch · capital · mug · march · mine · chest

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rash — a series
  4. mine — for digging
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. march — the month
  8. mug — a face
  9. capital — money
  10. chest — of your body
  11. march — music
  12. perch — the fish
  13. march — the month
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. capital — a city
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. chest — a box
  21. mug — to rob
  22. mug — a cup
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. leaves — lets stay

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