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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. season — of the year
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. kid — child
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. cue — for pool
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. wound — an injury
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. track — to keep track
  14. wound — an injury
  15. perch — the fish
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. cue — a signal
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. track — a song
  20. season — in sport
  21. cue — a hint
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. kid — to tease

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