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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. pop — music
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. track — a song
  10. perch — the fish
  11. pop — to visit
  12. pop — soda
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. squash — the sport
  15. squash — to crush
  16. field — a subject
  17. lie — to recline
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. field — farmland
  20. track — a path
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. snap — to click
  23. track — to keep track
  24. lie — an untruth

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