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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. perch — the fish
  6. track — a path
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. race — humankind
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. track — a song
  11. saw — the tool
  12. scale — size or range
  13. foot — a measure
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. present — a gift
  17. race — a contest
  18. present — the time now
  19. race — the arms race
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. present — there
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. scale — in music
  24. jam — a tight spot

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