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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. pop — to visit
  4. rash — hasty
  5. perch — the fish
  6. rest — a break
  7. track — a path
  8. spring — a coil
  9. cap — a hat
  10. track — a song
  11. pop — soda
  12. rash — a series
  13. pop — music
  14. spring — of water
  15. spring — the season
  16. key — in music
  17. cap — of ice
  18. key — for a lock
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. key — the most important part
  21. rest — what's left
  22. track — to keep track
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rash — on the skin

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