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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. present — there
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. perch — the fish
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. current — of water
  8. court — of a king
  9. present — the time now
  10. track — a path
  11. sharp — clever
  12. court — for sport
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. present — a gift
  15. mate — to breed
  16. current — happening now
  17. mate — a friend
  18. date — the fruit
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. track — to keep track
  22. current — electric
  23. mate — a partner
  24. court — of law

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