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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. present — a gift
  3. mark — a grade
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. track — to keep track
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. present — the time now
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. track — a path
  13. track — a song
  14. present — there
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. perch — the fish

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