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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. bear — the animal
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. bear — the animal
  5. track — a path
  6. kid — to tease
  7. club — a group
  8. wound — an injury
  9. mine — for digging
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. pit — in a race
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. perch — the fish
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. club — for golf
  20. pit — a hole
  21. club — for dancing
  22. track — to keep track
  23. wound — an injury
  24. kid — child

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