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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. ball — a great time
  4. cold — not warm
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. cold — an illness
  8. track — to keep track
  9. perch — the fish
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. track — a song
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. pound — a weight
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. track — a path
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. ball — a dance
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. ball — a round shape

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