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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. object — to protest
  4. track — to keep track
  5. bear — the animal
  6. roll — a cake
  7. track — a song
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. bear — the animal
  11. clip — a video
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. clip — to cut
  14. object — an aim
  15. roll — a list
  16. track — a path
  17. perch — the fish
  18. field — for sport
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. field — a subject
  21. clip — for paper
  22. rule — a law
  23. rule — government
  24. field — farmland

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