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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: track · chair · ground · bay · fine · perch · deal · toast

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. ground — crushed
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. fine — high quality
  10. track — a path
  11. track — a song
  12. perch — the fish
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. deal — to handle
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. toast — bread
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. ground — a position
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. ground — the earth
  21. fine — all right
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. chair — a leader

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