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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. rule — government
  4. kid — to tease
  5. rule — a law
  6. rash — a series
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. track — a song
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — the fish
  14. hand — in cards
  15. foot — a measure
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. track — to keep track
  18. wind — moving air
  19. track — a path
  20. rash — hasty
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. hand — help
  23. kid — child
  24. wind — moving air

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