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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. shower — to wash
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. sharp — clever
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — the fish
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. track — a song
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. track — a path
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. bat — the animal
  24. shower — rain

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