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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. perch — the fish
  3. spring — the season
  4. snap — to click
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. shower — rain
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. spring — of water
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. track — to keep track
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. track — a path
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. shower — to wash
  18. season — of the year
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. season — in sport
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. spring — a coil
  23. pass — a permit
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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