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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. chest — of your body
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. mate — a partner
  5. sharp — clever
  6. track — to keep track
  7. chest — a box
  8. pop — to visit
  9. mate — to breed
  10. track — a path
  11. spell — letters
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. track — a song
  14. spell — magic
  15. spell — a short time
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. mate — a friend
  18. pop — soda
  19. current — of water
  20. current — electric
  21. chest — of your body
  22. current — happening now
  23. pop — music
  24. perch — the fish

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