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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. perch — the fish
  5. track — to keep track
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. track — a song
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. last — to go on
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. cap — a hat
  13. deal — to handle
  14. last — finally
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. cap — of ice
  18. cap — a lid
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. sharp — clever
  21. last — final
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. perch — for a bird
  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