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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. net — for catching
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. net — in sport
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. track — a song
  10. net — after costs
  11. track — a path
  12. track — to keep track
  13. scale — in music
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. scale — size or range
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. foot — a measure
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. perch — the fish
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. calf — a young animal
  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