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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 116 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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bat — the animal
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bear — the animal
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. tube — a container
  8. track — a path
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. track — a song
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bound — obliged
  14. sharp — clever
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. bound — certain
  18. perch — the fish
  19. tube — the underground
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. track — to keep track

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