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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. sharp — clever
  3. perch — the fish
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mine — for digging
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. board — a committee
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. board — to get on
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. track — a path
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. rash — hasty
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. rash — a series
  24. track — to keep track

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