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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. mark — a trace
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. ball — a great time
  5. game — a match
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. track — a path
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. game — wild animals
  10. staff — a stick
  11. lean — thin
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. ball — a dance
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. track — a song
  17. bat — the animal
  18. track — to keep track
  19. perch — the fish
  20. staff — employees
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. lean — to bend
  23. staff — employees
  24. mark — a grade

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