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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. plane — a tool
  4. bass — the fish
  5. pass — a permit
  6. rash — a series
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. track — to keep track
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. track — a song
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. field — for sport
  14. pit — a hole
  15. rash — hasty
  16. pit — in a race
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. track — a path
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. field — a subject
  23. field — farmland
  24. bass — low music

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