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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 116 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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. perch — the fish
  4. file — a document
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bear — the animal
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. saw — the tool
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. saw — the tool
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bear — the animal
  16. file — a line of people
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. file — a tool

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