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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. track — to keep track
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. object — to protest
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. shower — rain
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. object — a thing
  11. fall — to drop
  12. shower — to wash
  13. object — an aim
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. rule — government
  16. lean — to bend
  17. rule — a law
  18. fall — the season
  19. lean — thin
  20. fall — to drop
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. track — a path
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. track — a song

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