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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. track — a path
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. track — a song
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. craft — boats
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. saw — the tool
  16. perch — the fish
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. wound — an injury
  20. craft — a skill
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wind — moving air
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. saw — the tool

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