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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  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. track — a path
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. squash — the sport
  5. ground — the earth
  6. press — newspapers
  7. prune — to trim
  8. press — a publisher
  9. squash — to crush
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. track — to keep track
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. shower — to wash
  15. perch — the fish
  16. ground — a position
  17. press — to push
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. track — a song
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. shower — rain
  22. prune — to trim
  23. ground — crushed
  24. perch — for a bird

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