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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. track — a path
  3. perch — the fish
  4. lie — to recline
  5. track — to keep track
  6. cell — in biology
  7. cap — a hat
  8. net — for catching
  9. net — after costs
  10. net — in sport
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. root — of a word
  13. cell — a phone
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. root — the cause
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. track — a song
  19. cap — of ice
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. cap — a lid
  23. root — of a plant
  24. pitcher — a jug

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