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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 cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. track — to keep track
  4. mark — a grade
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. suit — to fit
  8. kid — to tease
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. suit — in cards
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. hand — help
  13. mark — a trace
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. track — a song
  17. perch — the fish
  18. stem — to come from
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. track — a path
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. kid — child
  24. hand — in cards

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