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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. scale — size or range
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. perch — the fish
  6. march — the month
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. march — the month
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. rush — hurry
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. scale — in music
  14. track — a song
  15. track — to keep track
  16. march — music
  17. fork — in a road
  18. cue — a hint
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. cue — for pool
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. cue — a signal

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