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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. mine — for digging
  4. perch — the fish
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. track — to keep track
  13. track — a path
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. track — a song
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. bat — the animal
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. sharp — clever
  23. deal — to handle
  24. sharp — exactly

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