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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 is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  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. track — a song
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. deal — to handle
  5. fine — all right
  6. spring — of water
  7. track — to keep track
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. track — a path
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. fine — high quality
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. spring — a coil
  15. mark — a trace
  16. game — wild animals
  17. game — a match
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. mark — a grade
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. perch — the fish
  23. spring — the season
  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