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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. mate — a friend
  3. track — a song
  4. charge — electricity
  5. mate — a partner
  6. saw — the tool
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. charge — in control
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. track — a path
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. charge — a price
  16. ground — a position
  17. mate — to breed
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. ground — the earth
  20. saw — the tool
  21. ground — crushed
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. track — to keep track

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