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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. track — to keep track
  3. saw — the tool
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. chest — of your body
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. rule — government
  10. game — wild animals
  11. board — a committee
  12. rule — a law
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. game — a match
  15. chest — of your body
  16. saw — the tool
  17. track — a song
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. board — to get on
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. chest — a box
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. track — a path
  24. perch — the fish

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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