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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: track · perch · fork · tear · foot · snap · march · deal

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  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. snap — to speak sharply
  2. track — a path
  3. march — the month
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. deal — to handle
  6. march — the month
  7. tear — to rip
  8. tear — from crying
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. foot — a measure
  13. snap — to click
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. track — a song
  16. march — music
  17. tear — from crying
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. fork — in a road
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. track — to keep track
  24. perch — the fish

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