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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  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. mouse — the animal
  2. bound — obliged
  3. rash — hasty
  4. tube — a container
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. saw — the tool
  7. track — to keep track
  8. tube — the underground
  9. court — of a king
  10. track — a song
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bound — tied together
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. court — for sport
  15. bound — certain
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. perch — the fish
  18. track — a path
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rash — a series
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. court — of law
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  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