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

Word bank: perch · track · mark · wind · bat · cell · stand · mate

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. track — to keep track
  5. mate — to breed
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. mark — a grade
  9. wind — moving air
  10. mate — a partner
  11. bat — the animal
  12. track — a song
  13. mark — a trace
  14. stand — to bear
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. cell — in biology
  20. track — a path
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. perch — the fish
  23. mate — a friend
  24. cell — a phone

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