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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: kid · perch · toast · track · key · mate · lash · shower

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. perch — the fish
  4. mate — to breed
  5. track — a song
  6. toast — bread
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. track — a path
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. mate — a partner
  11. key — for a lock
  12. kid — child
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. key — in music
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. shower — rain
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. key — the most important part
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. shower — to wash
  21. mate — a friend
  22. kid — to tease
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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