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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 120 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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. saw — the tool
  4. perch — the fish
  5. ball — a great time
  6. last — final
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. ball — a dance
  11. present — there
  12. cue — a signal
  13. last — finally
  14. present — the time now
  15. last — to go on
  16. land — a country
  17. land — to come down
  18. track — to keep track
  19. track — a song
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. present — a gift
  22. track — a path
  23. cue — for pool
  24. cue — a hint

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