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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  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 path
  2. dip — to sink
  3. swing — music
  4. mine — for digging
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. track — to keep track
  8. fall — to drop
  9. swing — to play on
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — the season
  13. swing — in golf
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. bass — low music
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. bass — the fish
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. track — a song
  23. perch — for a bird
  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