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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. track — a song
  3. cap — of ice
  4. tube — a container
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. mark — a grade
  8. track — to keep track
  9. perch — the fish
  10. bound — tied together
  11. cap — a hat
  12. bound — certain
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. track — a path
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. cap — a lid
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. mark — a trace
  21. tube — the underground
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. bound — obliged
  24. perch — for a bird

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