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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. track — a path
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. perch — the fish
  7. land — a country
  8. swing — in golf
  9. rock — music
  10. swing — to play on
  11. rock — a stone
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. craft — a skill
  15. row — a line
  16. craft — boats
  17. cue — for pool
  18. cue — a signal
  19. swing — music
  20. land — ground
  21. land — to come down
  22. track — a song
  23. row — to paddle
  24. track — to keep track

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