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

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. track — a path
  4. track — a song
  5. cap — a hat
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. rest — a break
  9. mark — a trace
  10. scale — in music
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. mark — a grade
  13. scale — size or range
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. rest — what's left
  16. cap — of ice
  17. track — to keep track
  18. cap — a lid
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. craft — a skill
  21. craft — boats
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. rest — what's left

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