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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. mug — to rob
  3. foot — a measure
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. track — a path
  6. file — a line of people
  7. file — a document
  8. perch — the fish
  9. mug — a face
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. clip — for paper
  12. clip — a video
  13. file — a tool
  14. mug — a cup
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. track — to keep track
  17. track — a song
  18. clip — to cut

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