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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. perch — the fish
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. game — wild animals
  6. rush — hurry
  7. mark — a trace
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. file — a document
  11. content — the amount
  12. tear — from crying
  13. rule — government
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. content — happy
  16. rule — a law
  17. game — a match
  18. file — a tool
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. tear — from crying
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. file — a line of people
  24. tear — to rip

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