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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  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. perch — the fish
  2. mate — a partner
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. track — to keep track
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. mate — to breed
  8. dip — to sink
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. mate — a friend
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. track — a song
  17. mine — for digging
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. plane — a tool
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. kick — in football
  22. track — a path
  23. perch — for a bird
  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