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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. cell — a phone
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. track — a song
  5. fine — all right
  6. hand — help
  7. cell — in biology
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. perch — the fish
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. sharp — clever
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. fine — high quality
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. track — a path
  21. track — to keep track
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bass — low music
  24. bass — 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