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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 120 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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. perch — the fish
  5. foot — a measure
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. rock — music
  8. rock — a stone
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. track — a path
  12. scale — in music
  13. scale — size or range
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. track — to keep track
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. shower — to wash
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. shower — rain
  24. mouse — the animal

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