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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. track — to keep track
  3. spell — a short time
  4. track — a path
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. spell — letters
  8. pit — a hole
  9. field — farmland
  10. board — a committee
  11. key — in music
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. key — the most important part
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. field — for sport
  16. track — a song
  17. key — for a lock
  18. pit — in a race
  19. wax — to grow
  20. field — a subject
  21. perch — the fish
  22. spell — magic
  23. board — to get on
  24. board — a flat piece

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