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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. perch — the fish
  3. wound — an injury
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. current — happening now
  6. saw — the tool
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. stand — to bear
  11. track — a song
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. track — a path
  16. current — of water
  17. track — to keep track
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. current — electric
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. saw — the tool
  23. wound — an injury
  24. perch — for a bird

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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