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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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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: drill · chair · can · perch · track · land · leaves · fine

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. track — to keep track
  3. track — a path
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. can — a tin
  6. drill — army training
  7. perch — the fish
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. track — a song
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. fine — high quality
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. land — to come down
  14. chair — a leader
  15. can — to be able to
  16. fine — all right
  17. drill — a practice
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. land — ground
  20. drill — the tool
  21. land — a country
  22. can — a tin
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. perch — for a bird

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