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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. lean — to bend
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. cue — for pool
  7. track — a song
  8. craft — a skill
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. craft — boats
  12. track — to keep track
  13. fine — all right
  14. cue — a hint
  15. perch — the fish
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. cue — a signal
  18. hand — help
  19. track — a path
  20. lean — thin
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. hand — in cards
  23. bat — the animal
  24. perch — for a bird

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