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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. track — to keep track
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. cue — for pool
  9. cue — a signal
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. cue — a hint
  14. saw — the tool
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. track — a song
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. track — a path
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. saw — the tool

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