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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. march — the month
  5. march — the month
  6. fall — the season
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. fine — all right
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. track — a path
  13. track — to keep track
  14. rash — a series
  15. track — a song
  16. march — music
  17. chip — for betting
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. rash — hasty
  21. perch — the fish
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — to drop
  24. chip — to eat

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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