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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. charge — electricity
  3. drill — a practice
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. roll — a cake
  7. degree — an amount
  8. charge — in control
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. drill — army training
  12. row — to paddle
  13. drill — the tool
  14. row — a line
  15. perch — the fish
  16. lie — to recline
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. roll — a list
  19. charge — a price
  20. degree — from a university
  21. degree — temperature
  22. track — a song
  23. track — a path
  24. lie — an untruth

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