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

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. file — a line of people
  3. perch — the fish
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. stock — goods
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. drill — a practice
  10. swing — music
  11. drill — army training
  12. swing — to play on
  13. drill — the tool
  14. deal — to handle
  15. fork — in a road
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. file — a tool
  19. file — a document
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. stock — shares
  24. swing — in golf

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