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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. file — a document
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. file — a line of people
  5. saw — the tool
  6. court — of a king
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. saw — the tool
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. file — a tool
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. pound — a weight
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. court — of law
  18. court — for sport
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. perch — the fish
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wound — an injury
  24. racket — for tennis

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