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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 116 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 people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. pound — a weight
  4. fall — the season
  5. perch — the fish
  6. track — a song
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. rash — a series
  10. lean — to bend
  11. lean — thin
  12. fall — to drop
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. fall — to drop
  15. spell — magic
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. spell — a short time
  19. rash — hasty
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. track — to keep track
  23. spell — letters
  24. track — a path

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