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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  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 — the fish
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. club — for golf
  4. drill — army training
  5. club — for dancing
  6. track — a song
  7. cap — a hat
  8. track — to keep track
  9. track — a path
  10. pound — a weight
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. hand — in cards
  15. bulb — for light
  16. cap — of ice
  17. hand — help
  18. cap — a lid
  19. club — a group
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. drill — a practice
  23. drill — the tool
  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