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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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. mark — to pay attention
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. perch — the fish
  9. mark — a trace
  10. staff — employees
  11. staff — a stick
  12. track — to keep track
  13. track — a song
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. mark — a grade
  17. net — after costs
  18. net — in sport
  19. rush — hurry
  20. wound — an injury
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. staff — employees
  23. wound — an injury
  24. net — for catching

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