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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. chest — of your body
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. track — a path
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. chest — a box
  9. track — a song
  10. perch — the fish
  11. object — an aim
  12. chest — of your body
  13. season — in sport
  14. cell — in biology
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. season — of the year
  17. cell — a phone
  18. object — to protest
  19. deal — to handle
  20. object — a thing
  21. track — to keep track
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. leaves — lets stay

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