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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: squash · arm · row · perch · march · fine · club · last

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. last — final
  4. march — the month
  5. march — the month
  6. club — a group
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. squash — to crush
  9. fine — all right
  10. fine — high quality
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. row — a line
  13. perch — the fish
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. club — for dancing
  16. row — to paddle
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. club — for golf
  20. last — finally
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. march — music
  23. last — to go on
  24. squash — the vegetable

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