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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. track — to keep track
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. rule — government
  6. perch — the fish
  7. suit — in cards
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. season — of the year
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. suit — clothes
  14. game — wild animals
  15. chair — a leader
  16. track — a song
  17. rule — a law
  18. suit — to fit
  19. game — a match
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. season — in sport
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. chair — to sit on

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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