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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 120 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 ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. cell — a phone
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. track — to keep track
  5. root — of a word
  6. root — the cause
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. perch — the fish
  9. track — a song
  10. cell — in biology
  11. saw — the tool
  12. root — of a plant
  13. sharp — clever
  14. saw — the tool
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. hand — in cards
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. squash — the sport
  20. hand — help
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. squash — to crush
  23. track — a path
  24. squash — the vegetable

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