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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. track — a path
  3. key — in music
  4. track — a song
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. craft — a skill
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. wound — an injury
  9. court — of a king
  10. degree — from a university
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. key — the most important part
  13. craft — boats
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. degree — temperature
  16. wound — an injury
  17. key — for a lock
  18. track — to keep track
  19. degree — an amount
  20. court — of law
  21. court — for sport
  22. perch — the fish
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. craft — a handicraft

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