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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. season — in sport
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. season — of the year
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. board — to get on
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — of your body
  10. mark — a grade
  11. foot — a measure
  12. chest — a box
  13. track — to keep track
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. perch — the fish
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. saw — the tool
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. board — a committee
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. mark — a trace
  23. saw — the tool
  24. track — a song

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