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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  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. sharp — clever
  2. track — a path
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. track — a song
  6. roll — a list
  7. track — to keep track
  8. perch — the fish
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. ground — the earth
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. bore — to tire
  13. ground — crushed
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. ground — a position
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. roll — a cake
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. bore — to drill
  23. sharp — with an edge
  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