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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. track — to keep track
  3. perch — the fish
  4. key — for a lock
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. chest — of your body
  7. key — in music
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. roll — a list
  10. court — of law
  11. court — of a king
  12. rash — hasty
  13. court — for sport
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. rest — a break
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. roll — a cake
  20. key — the most important part
  21. track — a path
  22. chest — a box
  23. rash — a series
  24. track — a song

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