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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 120 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: mouse · tear · chest · field · perch · pit · kick · track

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. chest — a box
  3. perch — the fish
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. track — a path
  6. field — for sport
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. pit — in a race
  9. tear — from crying
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. track — to keep track
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. track — a song
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. kick — in football
  17. field — farmland
  18. pit — a hole
  19. chest — of your body
  20. tear — from crying
  21. field — a subject
  22. chest — of your body
  23. tear — to rip
  24. kick — with a leg

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