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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  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. track — a song
  2. band — a music group
  3. pit — in a race
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. cell — in biology
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. ground — a position
  10. cell — a phone
  11. ground — crushed
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. pit — a hole
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. ground — the earth
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. band — a ring
  18. track — to keep track
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. sharp — clever
  21. perch — the fish
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. sharp — exactly
  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