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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. march — the month
  8. track — to keep track
  9. track — a path
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. perch — the fish
  14. chair — a leader
  15. hand — in cards
  16. tube — a container
  17. row — to paddle
  18. fork — in a road
  19. tube — the underground
  20. march — the month
  21. march — music
  22. row — a line
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. hand — help

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