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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. perch — the fish
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. mark — a trace
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. saw — the tool
  9. pit — in a race
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. mug — a cup
  12. foot — a measure
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. mug — to rob
  15. track — to keep track
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. mug — a face
  18. track — a song
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. mark — a grade
  21. wind — moving air
  22. pit — a hole
  23. track — a path
  24. wind — moving air

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