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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.

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: scale · march · mark · bore · perch · squash · ground · kid

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. march — the month
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. bore — to drill
  6. ground — a position
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. march — music
  9. perch — the fish
  10. kid — child
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. squash — the sport
  13. mark — a grade
  14. kid — to tease
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bore — to tire
  17. march — the month
  18. scale — in music
  19. ground — crushed
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. scale — size or range
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. ground — the earth
  24. mark — a trace

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