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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 116 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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. track — to keep track
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. plane — a tool
  6. perch — the fish
  7. track — a song
  8. charge — a price
  9. mark — a grade
  10. track — a path
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. shower — to wash
  15. stem — to come from
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. charge — electricity
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. mark — a trace
  21. charge — in control
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bat — the animal
  24. shower — rain

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