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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mark · track · foot · clip · perch · vault · pitcher · land

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. foot — a measure
  3. clip — a video
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. track — a path
  6. mark — a trace
  7. land — a country
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. clip — for paper
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. land — ground
  12. mark — a grade
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. clip — to cut
  15. land — to come down
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. track — to keep track
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. vault — a safe
  22. perch — the fish
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. track — a song

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