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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. rash — hasty
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. pass — a permit
  5. track — to keep track
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. mate — a partner
  8. can — to be able to
  9. track — a path
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. rash — a series
  13. mate — to breed
  14. can — a tin
  15. drill — army training
  16. perch — the fish
  17. track — a song
  18. can — a tin
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. mate — a friend
  21. drill — the tool
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. drill — a practice

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