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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. track — to keep track
  3. cell — a phone
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. firm — steady
  6. track — a song
  7. track — a path
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. firm — decided
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. hand — help
  14. hand — in cards
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. cell — in biology
  18. season — in sport
  19. firm — a company
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. perch — the fish
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. season — of the year

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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