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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. rule — government
  4. perch — the fish
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. track — to keep track
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. track — a song
  13. lean — to bend
  14. band — a ring
  15. track — a path
  16. band — a music group
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. shower — to wash
  21. shower — rain
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. rule — a law

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