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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. row — a line
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. present — a gift
  7. deal — to handle
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. perch — the fish
  12. hand — in cards
  13. toast — bread
  14. present — the time now
  15. hand — help
  16. track — a song
  17. track — a path
  18. track — to keep track
  19. pass — a permit
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. row — to paddle
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. present — there
  24. hand — part of the body

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