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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  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. perch — for a bird
  2. season — of the year
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. field — a subject
  5. rash — hasty
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. track — a path
  9. rash — a series
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. field — farmland
  12. track — to keep track
  13. lean — thin
  14. mate — a partner
  15. field — for sport
  16. mate — to breed
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. lean — to bend
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. perch — the fish
  22. mate — a friend
  23. season — in sport
  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