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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 120 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 hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. track — to keep track
  3. cold — an illness
  4. lean — thin
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. track — a path
  7. bear — the animal
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. bear — the animal
  10. file — a line of people
  11. cold — not warm
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. file — a document
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. track — a song
  19. perch — the fish
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. file — a tool
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. lean — to bend
  24. perch — for a bird

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