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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. track — a song
  3. kid — to tease
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. track — a path
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. march — music
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. foot — a measure
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. saw — the tool
  15. net — after costs
  16. track — to keep track
  17. march — the month
  18. saw — the tool
  19. march — the month
  20. net — in sport
  21. kid — child
  22. net — for catching
  23. perch — the fish
  24. foot — the bottom

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