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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. tear — from crying
  4. season — of the year
  5. mate — a partner
  6. track — a song
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. plane — a tool
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. track — to keep track
  11. mate — to breed
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. track — a path
  14. tear — from crying
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. chest — of your body
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. mate — a friend
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — a box
  21. season — in sport
  22. tear — to rip
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. perch — the fish

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