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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: march · rock · perch · mug · spell · court · wound · rest

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. rest — what's left
  3. wound — an injury
  4. court — of law
  5. march — the month
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. spell — a short time
  8. rock — music
  9. wound — an injury
  10. rock — a stone
  11. rest — what's left
  12. perch — the fish
  13. spell — letters
  14. mug — a cup
  15. march — music
  16. march — the month
  17. mug — a face
  18. rest — a break
  19. court — of a king
  20. spell — magic
  21. mug — to rob
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. court — for sport

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