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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. suit — in cards
  3. fine — high quality
  4. track — a song
  5. suit — to fit
  6. bound — certain
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. bound — tied together
  9. field — a subject
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. pound — a weight
  12. track — to keep track
  13. track — a path
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. field — farmland
  16. perch — the fish
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. fine — all right
  22. bound — obliged
  23. field — for sport
  24. suit — clothes

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