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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. deal — to handle
  4. game — a match
  5. row — to paddle
  6. land — to come down
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. game — wild animals
  9. pop — to visit
  10. pop — soda
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. perch — the fish
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. bound — certain
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. land — ground
  17. bound — obliged
  18. row — a line
  19. track — to keep track
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. pop — music
  22. bound — tied together
  23. track — a song
  24. land — a country

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