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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. track — to keep track
  3. perch — the fish
  4. track — a path
  5. court — of law
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. clip — for paper
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. clip — to cut
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. court — of a king
  12. clip — a video
  13. rest — what's left
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. rest — a break
  16. cue — for pool
  17. cue — a signal
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. court — for sport
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. cue — a hint
  23. track — a song
  24. rest — what's left

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