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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. march — music
  4. track — a song
  5. chip — to eat
  6. foot — a measure
  7. cold — an illness
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. fine — all right
  10. rock — music
  11. march — the month
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. track — a path
  14. cold — not warm
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. rock — a stone
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. fine — high quality
  20. chip — for betting
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — the fish
  23. track — to keep track
  24. march — the month

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