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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 116 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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. row — a line
  4. track — a song
  5. stand — to bear
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. season — of the year
  8. track — a path
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. ground — the earth
  11. perch — the fish
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. ground — a position
  14. bear — the animal
  15. ground — crushed
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. row — to paddle
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. pound — a weight
  21. bear — the animal
  22. season — in sport
  23. track — to keep track
  24. stand — on your feet

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