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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  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. track — a song
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. bulb — for light
  4. track — a path
  5. track — to keep track
  6. hand — help
  7. capital — money
  8. ball — a dance
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. capital — a city
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. fine — all right
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. hand — in cards
  18. bulb — for light
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. fine — high quality
  21. pitch — completely
  22. ball — a great time
  23. bulb — of a plant
  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