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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 120 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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. perch — the fish
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. suit — to fit
  7. bear — the animal
  8. object — to protest
  9. track — a song
  10. track — a path
  11. object — an aim
  12. season — of the year
  13. season — in sport
  14. last — finally
  15. track — to keep track
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. last — to go on
  19. suit — in cards
  20. last — final
  21. suit — clothes
  22. hand — help
  23. hand — in cards
  24. object — a thing

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