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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: row · track · stick · lie · perch · face · pound · last

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. last — final
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. last — finally
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. pound — a weight
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. lie — to recline
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. track — a song
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. face — to point toward
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. row — a line
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. last — to go on
  19. face — to confront
  20. track — a path
  21. perch — the fish
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. row — to paddle
  24. face — part of the head

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