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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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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: track · row · coach · cold · perch · game · key · bay

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. track — a song
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. cold — an illness
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. cold — not warm
  7. row — to paddle
  8. key — for a lock
  9. key — the most important part
  10. game — a match
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. track — to keep track
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. row — a line
  15. key — in music
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. game — wild animals
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. track — a path
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. perch — the fish

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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