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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.

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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 · capital · rush · lie · march · toast · fork · snap

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. toast — bread
  3. capital — money
  4. perch — the fish
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. capital — a city
  8. march — music
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. snap — to click
  11. fork — in a road
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. lie — to recline
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. march — the month
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. rush — hurry
  24. march — the month

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