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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. track — to keep track
  3. lean — thin
  4. club — a group
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. rash — hasty
  7. mark — a trace
  8. club — for dancing
  9. rash — a series
  10. perch — the fish
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. kid — to tease
  13. lean — to bend
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. club — for golf
  17. mark — a grade
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. kid — child
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. track — a song
  24. track — a path

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