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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. squash — the sport
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. track — a path
  6. pit — a hole
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — what's left
  9. file — a line of people
  10. chest — of your body
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. pit — in a race
  13. squash — to crush
  14. chest — of your body
  15. file — a tool
  16. chest — a box
  17. track — to keep track
  18. perch — the fish
  19. file — a document
  20. current — happening now
  21. rest — a break
  22. current — of water
  23. current — electric
  24. perch — for a bird

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