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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. track — a song
  3. bulb — for light
  4. capital — a city
  5. track — a path
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. rule — a law
  8. bulb — for light
  9. track — to keep track
  10. capital — money
  11. mug — to rob
  12. cell — in biology
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. perch — the fish
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. mug — a face
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. rule — government
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. mug — a cup

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