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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: ball · perch · track · clip · cue · pitcher · pound · mug

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. ball — a great time
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. pound — a weight
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. perch — the fish
  7. cue — a signal
  8. mug — to rob
  9. mug — a face
  10. track — a song
  11. cue — a hint
  12. clip — for paper
  13. clip — to cut
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. track — to keep track
  17. cue — for pool
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. mug — a cup
  21. ball — a dance
  22. clip — a video
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — a jug

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