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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. track — to keep track
  4. track — a path
  5. pitch — completely
  6. stand — to bear
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. track — a song
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. rash — hasty
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. perch — the fish
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. bore — to drill
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. spring — of water
  18. spring — the season
  19. rash — a series
  20. spring — a coil
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. bore — to tire
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. perch — for a bird

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