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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. rock — music
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. file — a document
  5. file — a line of people
  6. rock — a stone
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. perch — the fish
  9. file — a tool
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. drill — the tool
  12. drill — army training
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. can — to be able to
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. band — a ring
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. bat — the animal
  19. band — a music group
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. can — a tin
  22. drill — a practice
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. perch — for a bird

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