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

Word bank: mouse · rest · track · capital · spell · perch · stick · pit

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. pit — in a race
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. rest — what's left
  8. capital — a city
  9. spell — letters
  10. rest — a break
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. spell — magic
  14. perch — the fish
  15. spell — a short time
  16. track — to keep track
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. track — a path
  19. track — a song
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. capital — money
  22. pit — a hole
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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