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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. file — a tool
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — an injury
  7. squash — to crush
  8. club — for dancing
  9. rock — a stone
  10. saw — the tool
  11. squash — the sport
  12. club — for golf
  13. row — to paddle
  14. file — a line of people
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. saw — the tool
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. club — a group
  20. file — a document
  21. perch — the fish
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. rock — music

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