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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. track — a path
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. ball — a great time
  5. perch — the fish
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. track — a song
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. current — happening now
  10. bear — the animal
  11. foot — a measure
  12. wound — an injury
  13. ball — a dance
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. current — electric
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. snap — to click
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. current — of water
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. wound — an injury
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bear — the animal

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