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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. hand — help
  3. track — to keep track
  4. track — a song
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. hand — in cards
  9. sharp — clever
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. object — a thing
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. object — an aim
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. perch — the fish
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. object — to protest
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. foot — a measure
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. fork — in a road

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