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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. mug — a face
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. perch — the fish
  6. capital — a city
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. mug — a cup
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. mug — to rob
  16. wake — a trail
  17. track — to keep track
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. capital — money
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. track — a song
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. track — a path

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